Nielsen Media Research and NetRatings have created a new database that merges TV viewing and Internet usage into a single database.
Called the national TV/Internet fusion database, the new measurement tool was designed to help TV programmers and advertisers understand the relationship between television and the Internet. The new service is the first developed through Nielsen’s Anytime Anywhere Media Measurement (A2/M2) initiative.
The database uses data from the 30,000-houshold Nielsen National People Meter Sample and the 29,000 panelists from homes and businesses.
Based on an April 2006 analysis of the fused data, the survey shows that heavy Internet users tend to watch more television than light users; that broadcast and cable networks achieve higher ratings among people who visit their Web sites; and that visitors to pure-play Internet Web sites tend to watch less television than average viewers.
Mainak Mazumdar, VP of measurement science for NetRatings, said that as streaming content became ubiquitous on the Internet, the importance of a combined television and Internet data set is critical for companies competing for the digital consumer.
