Pride in Progress: Nielsen’s TV Panel Enhancement Better Identifies Same Gender Spouse and Partner Audiences

Much Anticipated Update Gives Industry More Insights Into the LGBTQ Consumer and Contributes to More Diversity in Both Marketing and Programming

New York, NY – Oct. 25, 2018 – Today, Nielsen (NYSE: NLSN) announced that as part of its commitment to reflect important demographic and household characteristics in Nielsen’s National TV panel, it will expand its reporting capabilities to identify same gender spouses and partners and their households.

Nielsen is working closely with GLAAD to determine the best approaches for reflecting LGBTQ inclusion and representation in its industry-leading panels, including evaluating recruiting and classification techniques that help better identify same-gender spouses and unmarried partner households to participate in Nielsen’s nationally representative panel.

“As the media marketplace continues to evolve, our clients are increasingly looking to better understand consumers of all types to effectively reach new and unique audiences. This translates directly into why diversity and inclusion is a business imperative for Nielsen and why we will continue to invest in ways to ensure our world-class TV panel reflects the true diversity of the consumer landscape,” said Brian Fuhrer, Senior Vice President of Product Leadership at Nielsen. “This enhancement will help both programmers and marketers gain LGBTQ audience insights and provide the industry with a better understanding of the compelling opportunity these consumers represent.”

The industry will now be able to research data for these market breaks and demographics to further understand the viewing behavior of a same gender spouse or partner household. This is especially critical as the media marketplace continues to evolve and marketers look to expand the reach and relevance of their campaigns.

“We are at the highest levels ever reported for LGBTQ inclusion on television, and it’s important that we know American audiences are connecting with these characters and shows,” said Sarah Kate Ellis, President & CEO of GLAAD. “We appreciate Nielsen’s commitment to ensuring that LGBTQ people wherever they live and consume television are being counted–and that those numbers are being reported. GLAAD is proud to work alongside them as they continue to expand and enhance their capabilities.”