Nielsen And HBCU-Focused Urban Edge Network Sign Agreement

Nielsen and Urban Edge Network (UEN) — a Black-owned media company focused on publishing and distributing content from Historically Black Colleges and Universities — have reached an agreement for Nielsen’s qualitative products and services. The new agreement will leverage Nielsen’s Scarborough qualitative measurement service and provide consumer insights on the HBCU communities where UEN has a presence across categories including media consumption, purchasing patterns, shopping behaviors, and leisure activities.

Todd Brown, CEO of Urban Edge Network, said: “HBCUs — inclusive of their histories, stories and legacies — have a tremendous influence on their constituents, extended networks, and surrounding communities, particularly the buying behaviors of Black communities across the country. UEN’s partnership with Nielsen will highlight the unique consumer insights among HBCU-based demographics to demonstrate their value and impact. Together, we will create new opportunities and programs to bring energy to these untapped and underserved audiences and the brands that want to authentically engage with them.”

Catherine Herkovic, EVP and managing director at Nielsen Local, said: “We’re delighted to welcome Urban Edge Network to Nielsen and empower its teams and partners with our enhanced qualitative measurement capabilities. It is important to us at Nielsen to strive for inclusive representation and ensure that diverse segments are reflected in our measurement. We look forward to providing the comprehensive data and tools necessary to help UEN accurately communicate consumer insights about HBCU audiences that support their mission.”

UEN broadcasts content digitally from HBCUs including news, sporting events and student activities. Through its services and platforms, UEN continues to support increased visibility of HBCU communities and said it will use Nielsen’s solutions to bolster UEN’s capacity to deliver on this promise while gauging audience characteristics and behaviors to accurately convey product efficiency.