Introducing Digital Audio Video Measurement

For Immediate Release

Nielsen//NetRatings Introduces Digital Audio Video Measurement

New Independent Auditing Service Monitors and Benchmarks Online Streaming Media Activity

Sydney, 4 April 2007 — Nielsen//NetRatings, a global leader in Internet media and market research, today announced the launch of a new independently audited measurement service for digital audio video content – SiteCensus Streaming.

This launch is a key deliverable in the company’s strategy to expand its internet measurement capabilities* [* NetRatings Announces Expansion of Measurement Capabilities for Digital Audio and Video Content - http://www.netratings.com/pr/pr_060614.pdf], enabling it to respond to the industry’s need to address the rapid growth of online audio and video as well as the convergence of internet and television content.

New media calls for new metrics

In recent years, faster connection speeds through increased broadband adoption has led consumers to develop a far greater appetite for viewing video and audio content online. Inevitably, this has gained the interest of advertisers, which created the need for accurate and independent measurement of online audio and video activity to support business and advertising strategies.

SiteCensus Streaming

Nielsen//NetRatings now offers comprehensive, independently audited measurement insights on individual streams and, upon collection of sufficient stream views, competitive streaming performance.

SiteCensus Streaming is part of NetRatings’ suite of tagging-based internet and mobile measurement services and gives insight into:

• Unique Viewers – total number of browsers viewing online audio and video content

• Stream Views – consumption of streaming content

• Average Stream Duration and Completed Streams – engagement of stream viewers

• Geographic Location – location of stream viewers

• Streaming Launch URL – pages from which stream views are initiated

How it works

Following a set of consistent definitions and parameters, subscribers to the SiteCensus Streaming service tag their streams with a code. This code triggers a stream viewer’s browser to ping the NetRatings server with the relevant details of the stream and the site from which it is coming, enabling NetRatings to report actual counts for the client’s video streams with granularity.

Megan Clarken, VP SiteCensus & Project Management, Nielsen//NetRatings, says, “In developing measurement for online streaming, we faced various challenges, like the great variety of media formats, significant differences in stream content detail available and, above all, the lack of a standard method in categorising content and identifying the source of the stream. We are proud to announce that, in close cooperation with publishers, we have set the standards for measurement of digital audio and video for the online industry - globally."

Creating today’s and tomorrow’s media measurement

Nielsen//NetRatings’ Managing Director Asia Pacific and Latin America, Forrest Didier, comments, “This new service exemplifies the company’s ongoing commitment to innovation and transparency in data collection and reporting. Forecasts for significant increases in online digital media advertising expenditure have not only instilled the need for independent, accurate and comprehensive measurement of a site’s streaming traffic but moreover, benchmarking of streaming activity at market level."

Didier continues, “The new Nielsen//NetRatings streaming solution complements our existing SiteCensus portfolio and will provide publishers with actionable insights into their users’ online video and audio consumption. It will also assist them with strategies to maximize their streaming media’s effectiveness, commercialise streaming content and persuade advertisers to include online properties in their media schedule."

In an effort to enable further optimisation of streaming content and campaigns in the near future, NetRatings will continue to enhance the measurement of digital audio video by incorporating demographic data into SiteCensus Streaming, creating a comprehensive service called VideoCensus. The VideoCensus product will be rolled out in the US later this year, while plans for its deployment in European and Asia Pacific markets are currently under development.

ENDS

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