TVB Wants Nielsen To Slow Broadband-Only Homes Inclusion In Local TV Ratings

TVB, the TV advertising trade association, has a request for Nielsen: It wants the media-measurement company to slow the inclusion of broadband-only homes into local market samples.

Instead, TVB wants Nielsen to focus on getting accreditation for meter markets to improve core accuracy of local TV station measurement.

“TVB and its members continue to implore Nielsen to both engage with the Media Ratings Council (MRC) for a review of the BBO integration plan and to delay the start of BBO integration until the panel’s health is repaired and approved,” stated Steve Lanzano, president-CEO, TVB.

A statement from Nielsen:

"The inclusion of BBO homes has been delayed a number of times and by continuing to exclude broadband homes from local measurement, local TV buyers and sellers are excluding upwards of 20% of local TV households in some local DMAs. This number grows...  and increases the differences from the national [TV] data which has long included these homes."

It adds:"Keep in mind, BBO is a consumer trend that really only Nielsen can measure with accuracy... The longer we wait, the higher the percentage of BBO we will be adding and this will make the difference between the more complete market definition and local reporting larger."

Media agencies have long encouraged Nielsen to include broadband-only homes in its local TV measurement samples. Analysts say the push for the slower response is the fear of potential lower local TV station ratings.

In June 2020, Nielsen said it got continued accreditation by the Media Rating Council for all 25 Local People Meter (LPM) market service markets and 19 of 31 U.S. set-based TV meter markets.

While household set-based TV meter estimates remain certified for all 31 set-based markets, person-demographic estimates in 12 remaining markets do not.

Since 2013, Nielsen has planned for efforts to include broadband-only households into its local TV ratings service. Then for the 2014-15 TV season, it agreed to delay that inclusion, seemingly after demands made by the National Association of Broadcasters and its Committee on Nationwide Television Audience Measurement.

This story has been updated to include a response from Nielsen.

1 comment about "TVB Wants Nielsen To Slow Broadband-Only Homes Inclusion In Local TV Ratings".
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  1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, February 11, 2021 at 5:51 p.m.

    OK, so what happens if Nielsen projects its local market ratings only against homes that have operational TV sets---which is less than the total homes in each market. Won't that lower the "impressions" estimates for local market TV schedules---which the stations so favor? Or are they asking Nielsen to leave out the broadband - only homes from their ratings but project the ratings against the total "TV" viewing universe---which includes the generally light viewing broadband-only homes. Would the time buyers accept that---if they knew about it? Or are the stations betting that most time buyers simply wouldn't know?

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