Summary: This
is going to cause a major furor at ad agencies across the globe as advertisers
realize they are not getting the bang for the buck they thought with their
commercials. It is very likely to determine that just because a TV show is
highly rated it doesn't mean folks watch the commercials.
Nielsen to rate TV ads in far-reaching move
Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:23 AM ET
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Nielsen Media Research plans to measure how many people
actually watch TV commercials starting in November, a move that could result in
a decline in advertising rates, The Wall Street Journal said on Tuesday.
Nielsen, which tracks what people watch on television, plans to provide for the
first time ratings for TV ads, the Journal said. At the moment Nielsen rates
entire television programs, on which TV ads feature.
Both TV networks and advertisers expect Nielsen's new tracking to show
viewership drops noticeably when commercials are broadcast during a program,
which could fuel advertisers' push for changes in how ads are incorporated into
shows.
A drop in viewership could also accelerate the flow of advertising dollars out
of television to the Internet and new digital media, the newspaper said.
Nielsen is owned by Dutch media company VNU NV, which was delisted from Euronext
Amsterdam on Tuesday as part of its leveraged buyout.
