A Nielsen spokesperson tells Radio Ink this latest issue with meters was “an isolated personnel issue. There is no indication that this involved any media entities.” Monday afternoon, Nielsen informed radio subscribers that there were “irregular compliance patterns” in PPM homes in Los Angeles. Here are the details…
“We conducted an extensive investigation and we have determined that Nielsen’s quality standards were not followed. Thirty-five households were removed.” Nielsen said that represented “55 average daily in-tab persons for the first two weeks of August. This accounts for 2% of the average daily in-tab in the L.A. metro area. Combined, the affected meters contributed less than 1% of the quarter hours of listening for these weeks.” The August Week 3, Week 4, and monthly data releases will exclude those homes and the data will be released as originally scheduled.
“We are conducting an impact analysis of 2016 data in Los Angeles to determine what, if any, actions may be required for prior months. We will be in constant communication with our Los Angeles clients to ensure they are kept updated on the results of the impact analysis and plans moving forward.”
A Nielsen spokesperson also told Radio Ink that Nielsen’s compliance controls are intended to assure the integrity of the data by uncovering unusual or suspect behavior patterns. “In this case, one of our new controls did exactly that. It identified questionable compliance behavior and helped us to remove the panelists.”
Nielsen is also investigating all other PPM markets and conducting a review of protocols, and will be taking a number of steps to prevent recurrence. “Nielsen is committed to upholding the highest standards of data integrity and market transparency in order to provide the most effective audience measurement solutions to meet client needs.”
