Nielsen to Launch National Television OOH Measure

Nilesen has announced it will use its Portable People Meter (PPM) technology and panelists to measure out-of-home viewing for national television clients, and will provide subscribers with ratings combining this with in-home audiences.

Panelists are instructed to carry the PPM device wherever they go, allowing the tracking of exposure to TV in places like restaurants, bars, waiting rooms and airports. OOH figures will be based on data from more than 75,000 PPM panelists across 44 local markets, projecting to more than half the US population.

The service, which will provide both program and commercial ratings (C3/C7) for live through live + 7 days of time-shifted viewing, is expected to launch in April 2017, with data from January 2017 onwards - and Nielsen says data back to September 2016 will be added shortly after. Initially offered as a standalone service, the OOH ratings will later be incorporated directly into the firm's currency national television ratings.

'Measuring where consumers watch content, regardless of platform and location, is at the core of Nielsen Total Audience, and this includes out-of-home viewing' said Sara Erichson, Executive Vice President, Nielsen Client Solutions and Audience Insights. 'While consumers have always watched TV outside the home, that viewing has not been measured. This new measurement enables both buyers and sellers to understand the incremental reach of advertising messages'.

Nielsen is online at www.nielsen.com .