Agb Television Research

A. C. Nielsen Co., which has come under fire from the networks for alleged discrepancies in its television ratings reports, is about to have its position as the sole measurer of who watches TV challenged by the company that tried to start a competing ratings system three years ago. AGB Television Research will announce, perhaps as early as today, that it is renewing a campaign to supplant Nielsen as the company that provides national television ratings to the networks and advertising community.

Chunk of Maxwell Empire Sold Off: Insolvency experts struck the biggest deal so far in the breakup of the empire of late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, agreeing to sell his British research businesses for an undisclosed sum. The sale of most of AGB Research's British businesses to Addison Consultancy Group will make Addison the largest market research group in Britain. Industry analysts said the businesses involved in the deal, announced by Addison, could be worth up to $35 million.

Chunk of Maxwell Empire Sold Off: Insolvency experts struck the biggest deal so far in the breakup of the empire of late media tycoon Robert Maxwell, agreeing to sell his British research businesses for an undisclosed sum. The sale of most of AGB Research's British businesses to Addison Consultancy Group will make Addison the largest market research group in Britain. Industry analysts said the businesses involved in the deal, announced by Addison, could be worth up to $35 million.

A. C. Nielsen Co., which has come under fire from the networks for alleged discrepancies in its television ratings reports, is about to have its position as the sole measurer of who watches TV challenged by the company that tried to start a competing ratings system three years ago. AGB Television Research will announce, perhaps as early as today, that it is renewing a campaign to supplant Nielsen as the company that provides national television ratings to the networks and advertising community.

Arbitron Ratings Co., best known for its local broadcast audience ratings, said Tuesday that it plans to offer a national television ratings service that will also measure the buying habits of the survey families. The announcement comes as budget-conscious advertisers are increasingly looking at alternatives such as promotions and special event sponsorships to find more effective ways to boost sales. The national television ratings services already being offered by A. C. Nielsen Co.

A battle among television industry statisticians, programmers, producers and advertisers went public Thursday at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel. An industry audience there witnessed the combatants' notably civilized exchange over the "people meter"--a controversial new audience research device that promises to change dramatically how A. C. Nielsen Co. judges who watches what on American TV.

Once upon a time, there were just three television networks and life was simple. Today, ABC, CBS and NBC are fighting hard to retain their leadership in light of new technology and a massive change in viewer habits. The boom in independent television stations, cable and subscription TV service and videocassette recorders has eroded the network audience over the past decade; the share of home television viewing snared by the Big Three networks has shrunk from 90% to around 73%.

Brainstorming researchers at A. C. Nielsen Co. decided back in 1957 that what they needed to plumb the mysteries of American TV viewing habits was a sort of electronic pillow. Their idea was to put a specially wired cushion on father's easy chair, a second on the sofa where mother reposed, and others where the children usually sat.