Nielsen To Measure Media Use On Cell Phones

Nielsen, the “audience measurement firm” that provides the data which determines whether television shows live or die, announced plans yesterday to launch a new service it calls Nielsen Wireless. Nielsen Wireless will track and report consumption of various media content on mobile devices (media content includes such things as mobile television, video and audio streaming and Internet usage).

Analysts see mobile entertainment and its byproduct, advertising, as one of the fastest growing revenue sources for both media production and telecom companies in the next few years, with some projections placing potential cashflows of $10 billion by 2010; it certainly makes sense, then, that Nielsen views measuring mobile content as a huge opportunity.

Nielsen Wireless will help advertisers and entertainment companies determine which kinds of media are the most popular among cell phone users, how those users are watching or listening to the content, and how mobile content use affects consumption of traditional media. In the coming months, the company will provide data on “media habits and audience demographics,” broken down by wireless carrier.