Media powerhouses look at new TV ratings system

A host of the most powerful media companies in the world are joining forces to evaluate whether newer, more accurate, methods of measuring TV viewership need to be introduced in the US.

he list of companies participating in the fourteen-member Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) includes Disney, News Corp, Time Warner, CBS, Viacom as well as advertisers and agencies including WPP and Procter & Gamble.

Chase Carey, Deputy Chairman, President and Chief Operating Officer, News Corp. said: “We’ve been calling for more accurate television measurement for some time.  We’re happy to support this bold industry initiative — which is the first step in a major movement by media companies and their advertising partners to explore available ways to better measure the various platforms that support video content.”

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman added: “We all have an urgent need to evolve our methods of measurement such that advertisers and programmers can better understand consumer behaviour.”