Nielsen Media Research Offers The Roadmap to Audience Measurement in the Digital Future

Nielsen Media Research Offers The Roadmap to Audience Measurement in the Digital Future

Keynote Address by Susan Whiting Focuses on the Future

ORLANDO, Fla., March 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Susan D. Whiting, President and Chief Executive Officer of Nielsen Media Research delivered the keynote address to more than 300 clients attending the 2006 National Client Meeting in Orlando. In her remarks Whiting reiterated Nielsen's strong commitment to work with clients to ensure the highest quality measurement service even as the technologies delivering television change at rapid pace. Following Whiting's keynote which is attached below, senior management provided specifics on the wide array of consumer empowered technologies, metering solutions and methodological advances that Nielsen is deploying to keep pace with the changing markets.

The keynote address included industry thought leaders on videotape offering their views of the ways that the business will change as consumers take their viewing choices out of the traditional living room and moves video anywhere they want to go. Whiting responded with specific answers including recent Nielsen actions such as the introduction of time-shifted viewing, a comprehensive plan for measuring on-demand video, and the continuing support of the Council for Research Excellence to advance complex research issues. But the real focus is on the future to meet clients' needs for expanded electronic measurement that provides increased granularity of data.

In closing, Whiting noted that "some things don't change. Advertisers still need media. Media will need advertisers. And both will continue to need audience research of the highest quality. That is the touch point where our worlds join together. They don't collide. At Nielsen, we are listening to our clients and we have set some ambitious goals. We can only achieve these goals by all of us working together."

The full text is attached and can be accessed at http://www.nielsenmedia.com/ and http://www.everyonecounts.tv/

Following Whiting's remarks, Nielsen senior management detailed the newest technologies introduced at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show including a range of location-free and personal devices as well as increasing sophisticated home networks to deliver video. The number of options and the widely varying sizes, shapes and uses requires a range of answers as Nielsen believes that there is no "one size fits all" solution. For each of these devices there are meters currently being tested at the Nielsen Media Research Global Technology and Information Center. At the same time a series of tests are underway to learn about the consumer behavior that surrounds these technologies.

About Nielsen Media Research

Nielsen Media Research is the world's leading provider of television audience measurement and related services. In the United States, Nielsen's National People Meter service provides audience estimates for all national program sources, including broadcast networks, cable networks, Spanish language networks, and national syndicators. Local ratings estimates are produced for television stations, regional cable networks, MSOs, cable interconnects, and Spanish language stations in each of the 210 television markets in the U.S., including electronic metered service in 56 markets.

Nielsen Media Research is part of VNU Media Measurement & Information, a global leader in information services for the media and entertainment industries. The group serves the information and marketing needs of television and radio broadcasters, advertisers, agencies, media planners, music companies, publishers, motion-picture studios, distributors and exhibitors, and the Internet industry. VNU is a global information and media company active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, The Netherlands, and New York, USA. The company employs 41,000 people. Total revenues were EUR 3.5 billion in 2005. VNU is listed on the Euronext Amsterdam stock exchange. For more information, please visit http://www.vnu.com/.

Source: Nielsen Media Research

CONTACT: Jack Loftus, +1-646-654-8360, or Anne Elliot, +1-813-366-3556,
both for Nielsen Media Research

Web site: http://www.nielsenmedia.com/
http://www.vnu.com/
http://www.everyonecounts.tv/

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