Nielsen: "We Are Experiencing Complications," Withholds Overnights

There are still a few days left to 2005, but 2006 already appears to be getting off to a rocky start for Nielsen Media Research. Nielsen's plan to introduce three streams of TV ratings data beginning this week has hit the kind of glitches many had predicted, causing indeterminate delays in the release of its so-called "overnight" ratings. Nielsen late Wednesday informed clients it did not know when it would be able to release broadcast, Hispanic and cable audience estimates for Monday and Tuesday, the first two days of the new ratings data streams.

"We are experiencing complications related to the simultaneous production of data from last week (live data only) and data from this week (inclusion of time-shifted viewing)," Nielsen disclosed in the advisory sent out after the close of business on Wednesday. "This morning we were completing the processing of last week's data that did not include multiple streams of time-shifted viewing," the statement continued. "This afternoon we have been processing data for Monday, December 26th which does include multiple streams of time-shifted data. Moving back and forth between the two sets of software, we have encountered complications that are taking us additional time to resolve." The statement is the first public acknowledgment of what many observers had predicted: That Nielsen was ill prepared to make the transition, and that there would be glitches, delays and confusion as it begins reporting not one but three streams of data for "live," "live" plus same day of DVR playback, and "live" plus seven days of DVR playback data."

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Nielsen said it is using "all available resources" to overcome the data processing problems, but that it could not say when the data would actually be released.

"We will work through the night and provide you with an update by 11:00am (ET) Thursday, December 29th," Nielsen said.

The delays and disruption wreaked havoc on the networks' daily ratings spin, though ABC somehow managed to eke out enough numbers to put a positive light on the story (see related story in today's MDN).

And while national numbers still are not available, another simultaneous and momentous ratings shift also taking place this week - the integration of Spanish-language TV networks into Nielsen's general market ratings - already was showing some substantive impact in at least one major market. Univision's New York flagship WXTV crowed prime-time victory among all of the Big Apple's stations - both Anglo and Hispanic - among adults 18-to-34 and adults 18-to-49 in Nielsen's "overnight" ratings for Tuesday.

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