Dear Diary: Nielsen Says Goodbye

Measuring local TV audiences with paper diaries will become a thing of the past in all 210 DMAs by early 2018, Nielsen said today.

The announcement from the ratings company revealed few details of its plan to complete the gradual retirement of paper-diary measurement — a process the company began at least two years ago in 2014.

While the official “retirement” of the paper diaries is slated for “early 2018,” the company said its local TV ratings would be “all electronic” by the middle of next year. After that system is up and running — and presumably working properly — the paper diaries will end their run as the principal instrument for measuring local TV viewership in the last 140 markets where the diaries are still used, Nielsen said.

The new electronic local audience measurement system “will incorporate return path data from set-top boxes, and other electronic measurement in local services,” the Nielsen announcement said.

“Return path data,” a term in wide use in media audience research, refers to “any information sent via a return path, including system information such as subscription and pay-per-view requests, user interactivity and potential research information on audience size by channel,” according to one definition found online.

Nielsen’s announcement explained that the new measurement system will “combine [Nielsen’s] currency-grade panel data with return path data and other electronic measurement from millions of homes across multiple providers.”

The new service will provide audience measurement “on a daily, weekly or monthly basis, 365 days a year” in all 210 DMAs, Nielsen added.

“By tapping into the strengths of return path data and electronic measurement, and combining it with Nielsen’s gold-standard panels and meters, we will be delivering a superior product to help all local clients address current challenges and be better positioned for future trends,” said Megan Clarken, president, Nielsen Product Leadership.