Continuous Diary Measurement Launches in 46 Nielsen Audio Markets

New York, NY — Aug. 13, 2019 — Nielsen today launched continuous diary measurement (CDM), with the first data delivery in five of the 46 audio markets converting to monthly reports effective with the July 2019 survey.

CDM positions radio on a level playing field with other media such as digital and TV, and it will allow clients to maintain a competitive edge with the ability to react more quickly to marketplace changes. CDM will also help reduce “bounce” in the ratings with rolling samples designed to provide a more consistent and stable view of the market.

In June of this year, Nielsen announced that iHeartMedia Inc., the No. 1 audio company in the U.S., agreed to support CDM in Nielsen Audio’s four book markets. Additional broadcasters have signed for CDM, including Univision, Midwest Communications, Tyler Media, QueenB Radio, Southern Stone Communications and Bahakel Communications.

“With monthly Nielsen ratings in these diary markets, radio is giving its advertisers the most timely and relevant information possible and will have more stable and actionable insights for how audiences are engaging with our content,” said Brian Kaminsky, President of Revenue and Data Operations at iHeartMedia.

“This is a transformative day for the audio advertising industry when, for the first time, clients in these 46 markets will be able to transact on data monthly,” said Brad Kelly, Managing Director, Nielsen Audio. “There is no doubt that continuous diary measurement is a big step forward for the audio industry. With CDM, very large advertisers that rely on marketing mix models will be able to use the most current data available to get a better read on how radio drives sales results—the ultimate measure of ‘attribution’.”

“Advertisers demand current data and continuous diary measurement finally puts radio on a level playing field with digital and TV,” said Jeffery Warshaw, Chair of the Nielsen Audio Advisory Council and Founder/CEO of Connoisseur Media. “This upgrade in measurement is a terrific demonstration of the progress we can make when the industry comes together and works with Nielsen to improve the service for our clients.”

The July data for the balance of the 46 markets will deliver between Aug. 14 and Aug. 23. Effective with the launch of CDM, 94 Nielsen audio metros will have monthly reporting (48 PPM markets and 46 CDM markets) representing ~80% of radio’s ad spend and population in Nielsen audio markets.

Following are the markets that will have CDM. (The markets with data releasing today are bolded and italicized):

Akron, Albany-Schenectady-Troy, Albuquerque, Allentown-Bethlehem, Bakersfield, Baton Rouge, Birmingham, Buffalo-Niagara Falls, Charleston, SC, Chattanooga, Colorado Springs, Columbia, SC, Dayton, Des Moines, El Paso, Fresno, Ft. Myers-Naples, Grand Rapids, Greenville-New Bern-Jacksonville, Greenville-Spartanburg, Harrisburg-Lebanon- Carlisle, Honolulu, Huntsville, Jackson, MS, Knoxville, Little Rock, Louisville, Madison, Mobile, Monterey-Salinas- Santa Cruz, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Omaha-Council Bluffs, Puerto Rico, Richmond, Rochester, NY, Shreveport, Spokane, Springfield, MA, Syracuse, Toledo, Tucson, Tulsa, Wichita, Wilkes Barre-Scranton, and York.

The survey period for the first monthly release of data covers April 25, 2019, to July 17, 2019, and the reports will be delivered between Aug. 13 and Aug. 23.