TVB Repeats Calls To Delay Nielsen’s Inclusion Of BBO Homes

Steve Lanzano, president and CEO, TVB, on Wednesday called on Nielsen once again to review its integration plan for broadband-only homes and delay the start of BBO inclusion in its measurement.

Lanzano’s statement comes after a TVNewsCheck story on BBO homes’ divisiveness among agencies and station groups on Wednesday.

“TVB acknowledges Nielsen’s recent action to place the accreditation process for metered markets on hiatus for six months in order to improve the accuracy of audience measurement for local broadcast television,” Lanzano said in a statement. “Another necessary and positive action to ensure accurate measurement is to delay the inclusion of BBO homes until the current sample is fixed. Much work and new solutions are needed to improve and maintain the health of the current panel.

Lanzano continued: “TVB and its members continue to implore Nielsen to engage with the Media Ratings Council (MRC) for a review of the BBO integration plan and to delay the start of BBO integration until the panel’s health is repaired and approved. To earn the confidence of the industry, it is imperative that both the current sample is repaired and BBO inclusion is MRC reviewed, so after this hiatus the industry can move forward with the assurance we are using a fully vetted and accredited currency.”