Nielsen Signs Up Nat Geo Channel for New Ratings Service

LOS ANGELES, December 3:
National Geographic Channel is the first network to utilize Nielsen's new
DigitalPlus service, which records second-by-second viewership data from
set-tops.

The new service provides
insight into how many viewers watch each commercial. Nielsen relies on data
from about 330,000 set-top boxes in Los Angeles to track viewership
second-by-second. The company gained access to the set-top box data under a
deal with cable provider Charter Communications.

"We're committed to
using both syndicated and proprietary research to get a richer understanding of
what resonates with our viewers to help focus our marketing and programming
efforts," said Brad Dancer, National Geographic Channel's senior VP of
research and digital media. "Nielsen DigitalPlus gives us unique
advantages in reaching our targeted audiences because it offers a direct link
between set-top boxes in subscriber homes and set-top boxes in its People Meter
panels, enabling Nielsen to provide context for the raw STB data and integrate
it with a wealth of other datasets."

"The rapid evolution
of the television landscape is causing the media industry to look for better
ways to measure viewer engagement with content, as well as retention rates
across commercial breaks," added Jed Meyer, the senior VP of Nielsen
DigitalPlus. "DigitalPlus is another example of Nielsen developing
measurement tools that address the needs of our clients and we applaud National
Geographic Channel for taking advantage of the detailed insights that our
service offers."

—By Kristin
Brzoznowski