• by Joe Mandese , November 8, 2006

The average TV network generates 8% lower ratings among Internet users compared with the total U.S. TV population. That is one of the top line findings from a new report Nielsen Media Research as released to clients based on the first fusion of its TV ratings and Nielsen//NetRatings online user panel.

An executive summary of the report, based on April data, the first monthly installment of the new fusion service, is a prelude to a more extensive Internet data set Nielsen plans to make available in December, Nielsen CEO Susan Whiting said in a letter sent to clients on Tuesday to update them on Nielsen's so-called A2M2 (Anytime/Anywhere) measurement initiative.

Whiting, who was present, but oddly silent during Monday's national client meeting in New York, used the letter to tick off a number of advancement the TV ratings researcher has made in recent months, including a meeting Oct. 31 with the Media Rating Council to update the watchdog on its status. Whiting said the meeting focused on both Internet and out-of-home measurement initiatives.

On the out-of-home front, Whiting said Nielsen plans to begin recruiting 50 former Nielsen TV meter households in mid-November to participate in a test of Nielsen's new "Go Meter," a cell phone-based meter that users carry with them to detect their exposure to TV programming when they are out of their homes.

Nielsen has also recruited a 400-househodl panel of iPod owners and has begun doling early findings of that research out to clients during this week's national meetings in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"Also concerning personal video devices, we have begun another round of focus groups and one-on-one interviews to gain insight into consumer reaction to various models of the 'Solo Meter,' the meter attachments that will fit between the headphones and portable devices to capture passive audio signatures," Whiting said, adding that the feedback would be used to finalize the method, which will be deployed next April.

The new TV/Internet fusion research, meanwhile, indicates that not all networks are impacted equally by the usage levels of Internet households.

"There are 6 networks that generate 10%+ higher ratings among online users; there are 20 networks that generate 20%+ lower ratings among online users," the Nielsen report concludes, suggesting the new research may emerge as the next battle ground for TV networks to spin to Madison Avenue.