The Nielsen Company today announced it has acquired Audience Analytics and its Audience Watch software, which will significantly strengthen the company's ability to process, integrate, analyze and report large quantities of audience measurement data. As a software solutions provider of television research analytics, Audience Analytics already produces programming and reach and frequency analyses based on Nielsen Media Research's national respondent level sample-based data, as well as commercial and proprietary information from other industry sources.

    The acquisition will enable Nielsen to offer new insights to advertisers, agencies, broadcast and cable networks, local television stations, MSOs, satellite operators, ISPs, wireless providers and telephone companies. Audience Analytics' system will complement Nielsen's existing data delivery systems, such as NPOWER, giving Nielsen clients enhanced flexibility and more granular data analysis.

    Nielsen said that Mark Cannon, Audience Analytics founder and leader, will join The Nielsen Company as Senior Vice President, Analytics Technology. He will lead an advanced applications team to sustain and expand this technology across a growing number of complex data sets, and provide client support in developing the analytics techniques required to arrive at solutions.

    "The acquisition of Audience Analytics' software and tools provides Nielsen with a powerful platform for new applications we can take to market immediately," stated Jim O'Hara, President of Media Product Leadership for The Nielsen Company. "It not only gives us the ability to process and deliver set-top box data sets, but also enables us to report accurately that data down to very granular levels - whether second-by-second, household-by-household or even set-top box-by-set-top box. Further, this tool allows for our respondent level tuning and demographic data to be analyzed along with these various set-top box data sets, providing our clients access to the highest quality, most comprehensive analytical insights in the marketplace. This means Nielsen and its clients can receive, process and analyze complex, integrated data, faster and more comprehensively than ever before."

    Nielsen measures markets and trends at the retail level, in the home and on-the-go. The Company offer customized consumer research services focused on specific issues and opportunities. We evaluate and forecast the potential market for new products. Also Nielsen identifies and helps clients reach specific consumer segments, tracks the results of marketing and sales programs, provides advanced analytical service for marketing and merchandising planning.

    "In today's dynamic technology environment, companies can only maintain their marketplace advantage through continuous investment, strategic alliances, and leveraging human capital," commented Mitchell Habib, Executive Vice President of Nielsen's Global Business Services. "This acquisition is another example that the 'New Nielsen' will maintain focus and continue to bring the best technology assets to bear for our clients."

Nielsen clients immediate benefits:
    - The Audience Watch software will become the primary delivery mechanism for the company's Nielsen DigitalPlus product line which will provide analytics on tuning and interactive television usage based on set top box data, as well as measurement of video on demand transactions.
    - Nielsen will develop a single platform to integrate complex and varied data sets. This includes the company's television, Internet, mobile and consumer data, which are integrated for NielsenConnect products, and the TV/Internet convergence panel, which will provide a single source view of the interactions between television viewing and in-home Internet usage.