Nielsen Media Research

Nielsen Media Research is a company that measures and analyzes audiences for television, radio, and other media. Its ratings and audience estimates inform advertising, programming, and media sales.

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Nielsen ratings: Estimates of the size and composition of audiences for television programs or other media. These audience estimates are among Nielsen's best-known products.
Arthur C. Nielsen: An American market researcher who founded the company that became Nielsen Media Research. He founded the business and developed its early audience-measurement work.
Television advertising: Paid messages delivered to audiences through television programming or advertising inventory. Advertisers use Nielsen audience estimates to assess television campaign reach.
Comscore: A measurement company that provides data and analytics about digital media, advertising, and television audiences. It competes with Nielsen in audience measurement and cross-platform analytics.
People meter: An electronic device that records television use and identifies participating household members. People meters provide household-level viewing data for Nielsen's television panels.
Nielsen Radio Index: A service that measured radio audiences and reported ratings to broadcasters and advertisers. It was an early foundation of the company's media ratings business.
Media planning: The process of selecting media channels and placements to reach an intended audience. Nielsen data helps planners compare the audiences available across programs and channels.
Barb Audiences: The United Kingdom's system for measuring television and video audiences. It performs a role similar to Nielsen's television ratings in a different national market.
Television audience measurement: The collection and analysis of data about television viewing audiences. Nielsen's television ratings are one system within this broader practice.
Nielsen Television Index: Nielsen's service for measuring and reporting television audiences. It brought the company's audience-rating approach to television.