Ratings Summit: TV Nets Urge Nielsen to Move Forward

Perhaps not surprisingly, the summit yesterday to discuss Nielsen’s new commercial ratings did not result in any firm resolution of the significant issues on the table. However, at least two of the groups at the meeting - Nielsen itself and NBC - have said that the meetings were constructive, and Nielsen plans to move toward its goal of releasing commercial ratings data in November.

However, cable networks remain unhappy with Nielsen’s plans to collect and compute commercial ratings. Sean Cunningham, president and CEO of the Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, is quoted in Mediaweek as saying that there are “more than a dozen flaws” in Nielsen’s plans, and that without correcting them, the data will be unusable. He also hinted that most cable networks will probably opt out of the service, dramatically diminishing the usefulness of the data.

Agencies have apparently not come forward in great number since the meeting. According to MediaPost, agency executives were “somewhat circumspect” during the meeting, but in August, the American Association of Advertising Agencies wrote a letter reiterating some concerns that other groups have raised - namely that the Monitor-Plus data used for commercial ratings has not been accredited by the MRC and that it doesn’t measure all cable networks. The letter also asked that VCR data be excluded.

The debate during yesterday’s meetings centered around two TV industry research chiefs. CBS’s David Poltrack pushed for the immediate release of the new ratings, while Turner Broadcasting’s Jack Wakshlag wants the data to be proven accurate and representative before release.

ZenithOptimedia’s Bruce Goerlich, along with several other agency executives, were apparently questioning Poltrack’s push to release the data by Nielsen’s original deadline of Nov. 18, asking why they would want to spend time analyzing data that might prove to be faulty, but NBC’s Alan Wurtzel, who co-chaired the meeting, pointed out that, “We have always said that these initial ratings would be experimental. The issue is, do we want to wait until everyone is comfortable and on the same page with every detail? Or do we want Nielsen to put initial data out there and refine it as we test it? The consensus is that we want to get the data out in the field.”

Wurtzel recognized that there are issues for cable and syndication, but he said the industry needs to start somewhere. He added, “No one is committed to using this data as negotiating currency right now.”

Nielsen’s spokesman, Jack Loftus, said that when Nielsen begins issuing commercial ratings in November, the data will be labeled as experimental, or “not to be used as currency.” In the meantime, Nielsen hopes to meet with as many cable networks as possible to get their input.