Nielsen Tracks Wireless Video
By Marisa Guthrie -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/6/2007 7:56:00 AM MT
Nielsen officially wades into mobile video measurement with a new service that tracks wireless usage.
Launching in July, Mobile Vector will rely on Nielsen’s People Meters (currently in 10,000 homes) to track users' consumption of television and Internet content over their video enabled mobile phones. The usage and demographic information is the latest effort by Nielsen to offer advertisers more information in their quest to reach increasingly distracted consumers.
According to the CTIA, the Washington-based non-profit representing the wireless industry, wireless subscriptions in the U.S. number more than 230 million. Nielsen estimates that less than 10 percent of 18-34 year olds viewed mobile video programming this year. In fact, the mobile video viewer, according to Nielsen, is older (46 percent of viewers are 35 or older) and male (54 percent). Consumption also varies by carrier. For instance: Sprint subscribers were the biggest consumers of American Idol on video-enabled mobile phones. Nielsen Wireless is an extension of the ratings’ giants Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative. “The value of an entertainment medium is directly proportional to how well it is measured,” said Nielsen vice president Jeff Herrmann in a statement. “Reliable and accurate measurement of mobile consumers will enable advertisers to properly evaluate the mobile marketing opportunity.”
