Nielsen Total Audience Expanded to Local Viewing

Nielsen has expanded its cross-screen measure Total Audience, to include measurement of ads and content across all 210 of its local 'DMA' television viewing regions.

Total Audience compiles the overall number viewing a program or other content regardless of the mode of access. The new local market solution taps existing Total Audience tools including Digital Ad Ratings, Total Ad Ratings and Digital Content Ratings, to measure reach, frequency and GRP performance for ads and content across digital and TV at the local market level. Linear TV viewing via virtual multi-channel video distributors (vMVPDs) was added was added directly to Local TV Ratings earlier this year. Total Ad Ratings, which currently measures total and incremental reach for all audiences, for any ad campaign across TV, computer and mobile platforms, will include OTT impressions from next year.

Nielsen says the new launch, together with Local Nielsen Media Impact, launched in August, gives buyers and sellers the tools they need to better understand the local media landscape, down to the DMA (Designated Market Area) level. Kelly Abcarian, (pictured) SVP Product Leadership, comments: 'By enabling our clients to demonstrate the total reach they can deliver to advertisers at the local market level, local television can access the same key metrics as national television to know how their media is working. This helps to better inform their sales strategy and enables effective decision-making about where and when to engage audiences with content and advertising on a local level'.

Web site: www.nielsen.com .