Nielsen Rolls Out A/P Meters, Rebuffs MRC Audit Process Once Again

Weeks after reaffirming its commitment to the Media Rating Council, and during a speech in which its CEO unequivocally reiterated that support, Nielsen Media Research indicated that it may once again have moved forward with an important new measurement method without first completing an MRC audit.

"I am pleased to inform you that on Thursday, March 3, the A/P Meter system was installed in our first sample home - in the Ft. Myers, Florida, Metered Market," Susan Whiting, president-CEO of Nielsen Media Research told attendees gathered at its national client meetings in Miami this week. "This household," she continued, "will begin contributing to the local sample on April 7."

Whiting said the installation was a relatively easy process and that it represented "an exciting technological milestone for Nielsen."

While few would argue with that point - the A/P meters are designed to measure TV viewing taking place via digital platforms such as digital set-tops and digital video recorders - Nielsen has yet to complete a "technical audit" the MRC is currently conducting on the A/P metering system, say sources familiar with that process.

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Unless the MRC has quietly granted Nielsen accreditation for that system, it would be the second time it introduced a major new measurement technology without first getting the MRC's approval. The other, of course, was the series of local people meter roll outs Nielsen has been conducting, which created its original rift with the MRC and forced lawmakers to begin looking into the relationship between the MRC and Nielsen.

In the past several weeks, a number of lawmakers have sent letters to the Federal Trade Commission asking the commission to determine whether it has regulatory oversight of Nielsen, and implying that if it does not, they might draft legislation giving the FTC that authority.

On Thursday, Nielsen distributed a letter sent jointly by Representatives Dan Burton (R, IN) and Jesse Jackson, Jr. (D, IL) to members of Congress warning that federal regulation of the television ratings industry is an unwarranted government intrusion that could possibly damage the accuracy of the ratings system.

"Should it be the Federal Government's responsibility to inform Americans that 'American Idol' was last week's number-one show in its timeslot?," the letter stated. "Would it truly be a wise use of taxpayer dollars to create a Federal Department of Television Advertising just to set the price for Super Bowl advertising? We think not."

The letter also recognized the effectiveness of the MRC to monitor the quality of research conducted by Nielsen and others. The letter also criticized the pressure coming from News Corp.-backed advocacy group Don't Count Us Out.

In response, DCUO issued a statement saying it was not calling for creation of a "Department of Television Advertising," but that TV ratings nonetheless should be overseen by the federal government.

"Nielsen is a completely unregulated monopoly. It is not subject to free-market competitive pressure, nor to any independent oversight. That is an inherently dangerous situation in any industry. It is all the more troublesome when the industry in question has such a profound impact on our culture and economy," said the DCUO statement.

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