Nielsen Diary Markets To Go Monthly Year-Round

Nielsen announced today it will transform the measurement of markets that are measured with the audio diary from a quarterly or two times a year view to year-round measurement with monthly reporting. This more dynamic measurement solution enables clients to see seasonal shifts and react more quickly to marketplace changes. With this transition, radio will be able to find new insights and tell its reach story to advertisers each month.

“Big billion-dollar advertisers leave nothing to chance,” said Brad Kelly, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio. “Every decision they make is data driven and updated audience data is crucial for timely decisions. Nielsen Audio is excited to help diary market clients have a better understanding of the audio landscape and respond faster to dynamic market conditions. Continuous Diary Measurement, will help radio reinforce its compelling reach story more often and provide fresh radio data to fuel Marketing Mix Models—the decision tools big advertisers rely on to allocate budgets and evaluate the effect of their ad spend.”

The implementation of Continuous Diary Measurement will begin in phases with the first starting in July 2019 in the markets currently measured four times a year. The current four-book markets will convert to 12 currency releases that will comprise three months of data starting with the May/June/July 2019 report period. Effective with July 2019, approximately 70% of radio’s ad spend will be reported monthly by Nielsen Audio.

“With digital advertising providing near real-time metrics and TV moving to a year-round model, audio needs to compete on a level playing field,” said Jeff Warshaw, CEO, Connoisseur Media and vice-chair, Nielsen Audio Advisory Council. “As a client and member of the Advisory Council, I've challenged Nielsen to think differently and deliver a better solution. This is an important step forward for diary market clients because it will help audio remain relevant in an environment where advertisers expect more timely data and greater accountability.  We should never forget that our advertiser clients are what matter most. They deserve the most timely data we can provide.”

Going forward, Nielsen plans to deliver monthly reports covering six months of data in markets with at least 1,000 metro in-tab, and monthly reports covering 12 months of data in the smallest markets. 

Currently, Nielsen reports larger diary markets four times a year (winter, spring, summer and fall), mid-sized diary markets twice a year in the spring and fall and the smallest markets with two book averages of Spring/Fall and Fall/Spring.