MRC Suspends Nielsen’s National TV Ratings Accreditation

The Media Rating Council (MRC) has suspended its accreditation of Nielsen’s National Television service. Furthermore, it has suspended the accreditation for Nielsen’s Local People Meter and Set Meter Markets services, which previously had their accreditations on “hiatus.”

Those suspensions will become effective mid-September, reports The Wrap.

“While we are disappointed that the situation has come to this, we believe these are the proper actions for the MRC to take at this time,” George W. Ivie, executive director and CEO of the MRC, said in a statement on Wednesday. 

 “MRC’s Board of Directors, which represents an extremely broad range of industry constituencies, and includes advertisers, agencies, and media companies of all types, is strongly unified in its positions on these matters. MRC stands committed in our willingness to work with Nielsen toward the goal of being able to restore accreditation to these important services at the earliest possible time, and it is our hope that Nielsen likewise will continue to engage with MRC and its clients in pursuit of that goal.”

Meanwhile, MediaPost reports the MRC said its board's decision to end the hiatus status for accreditation of Nielsen's local market services -- which began in January after Nielsen confirmed its plans to add broadband-only households to its local panels beginning in October -- was due to "continuing issues" with the local service, "some of which parallel those of the national television service, as well as the board's assessment that of Nielsen's ability to appropriate integrate the broadband-only households into its local market metered panels.

“While we are disappointed that the situation has come to this, we believe these are the proper actions for the MRC to take at this time,” MRC Executive Director and CEO George Ivie said in a statement, adding: “MRC’s board of directors, which represents an extremely broad range of industry constituencies, and includes advertisers, agencies, and media companies of all types, is strongly unified in its positions on these matters.  MRC stands committed in our willingness to work with Nielsen toward the goal of being able to restore accreditation to these important services at the earliest possible time, and it is our hope that Nielsen likewise will continue to engage with MRC and its clients in pursuit of that goal.”