
Our measuring technology and devices capture which networks/stations viewers are tuned into on each television set in the home.

On the flipside, agencies and advertisers need viewership information to determine where and when to best place their advertising, sponsorships and marketing dollars… That’s where measurement and ratings come into play. For example, media owners like broadcast stations, cable networks and other content producers need viewership information to determine who’s watching their programs to properly price their ad inventory and make critical programming decisions. Understanding TV viewing behavior is critical for all parties in the media ecosystem. But even though consumers have an array of platforms and content choices available at their fingertips, linear television-which delivers video programming through an over-the-air, satellite, cable or internet connection-remains a mainstay in U.S. Unlike back in 1950, the term “TV” today likely means different things to different people.

After all, we’ve been measuring television audiences since 1950, and TV programming is just as vital to the American media diet as it was back then, if not more so. Nielsen’s measurement prowess spans an array of sectors and categories, but TV measurement is what most consumers know us for, particularly in the U.S.
