First NBA Team to Use Nielsen's Sponsorship Scorecard(R)

First NBA Team to Use Nielsen's Sponsorship Scorecard(R)

The Phoenix Suns Becomes First NBA Team to Measure Brand Exposure with Nielsen Sports

NEW YORK, Nov. 15 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen Sports(TM) and the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association announced today a license agreement for Sponsorship Scorecard(R), a service providing both sponsorship ratings and verification service for sponsored-placed media in all televised sporting events. The Suns are the first NBA team to sign on for the service.

Under the terms of the agreement, Sponsorship Scorecard will measure sponsor-placed media during telecasts of Phoenix Suns home games during the 2006-2007 NBA season. Measurement results include the number of occurrences and duration of time a sponsor's signage appears on-camera during a sporting event, along with household and demographic impressions.

The service also distinguishes between physical arena signage and digitally inserted on-screen images. Moreover, Sponsorship Scorecard determines whether a sponsor receives a video or audio mention, as well as the location of each occurrence, such as "Scorers' Table" or "Stanchion Ad".

"Sponsorship Scorecard will be an invaluable tool for evaluating sponsorships throughout our arena," said Lynn Agnello, SVP of Marketing Partnerships for the Phoenix Suns. "We look forward to utilizing the service to help us acquire new partners and enhance relationships with existing ones."

Ann Marie Dumais, VP, Marketing for Nielsen Ventures, is proud to welcome the Suns onboard. "As our first NBA team, the Suns are proving to be a leading organization both on and off the court by providing sponsors with actionable data. Scorecard enables organizations to compare sports sponsorships to other forms of measured media, and better plan and maximize their investment in the growing sports sponsorship industry."

About Nielsen Sports(TM)

Nielsen Sports, a unit of VNU, specializes in creating best practices for the sports sponsorship industry. Nielsen Sports is founded on a heritage and commitment to providing information that is results-oriented and objective for both buyers and sellers of sports sponsorships. Nielsen Sports was established in collaboration with Nielsen Ventures. VNU is a global information and media company with leading market positions and recognized brands in marketing information (ACNielsen), media information (Nielsen Media Research), business publications (Billboard, The Hollywood Reporter, Computing, Intermediair) and trade shows. The privately held company is active in more than 100 countries, with headquarters in Haarlem, the Netherlands, and New York, USA. VNU employs nearly 41,000 people.

For more information, please visit the VNU website at: www.vnu.com
For more information on Nielsen Sports please visit: www.nielsensports.com

About Nielsen Ventures(TM)

Nielsen Ventures develops innovative new marketing services for the media and entertainment industry. By capitalizing on the talent and resources of VNU, Nielsen, Ventures has launched five new services including Sponsorship Scorecard, FANLinks, PlaceViews. Nielsen Analytics, and a joint venture with the Corporate Executive Board. This fall Nielsen Ventures will launch Sponsorship Impact which is designed to identify best creative practices in sponsored placed media within sports stadiums. Nielsen Ventures also oversees VNU's investment in BuzzMetrics.

Source: Nielsen Ventures

CONTACT: Karen Gyimesi of Nielsen Ventures, +1-646-654-8631; or Jamie
Morris of Phoenix Suns, +1-602-379-7915

Web site: http://www.nielsenmedia.com/
http://www.nielsensports.com/
http://www.vnu.com/

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