| New York
– December 17, 2008 – TNS Media Research, a division
of TNS Media providing Internet, TV, and radio audience measurement
worldwide, has announced that Discovery Communications, the world’s
number-one nonfiction media company, has signed an agreement to utilize
the DIRECTView™ service, one of the largest national audience
measurement services available in the United States. This agreement
will provide Discovery Communications, the first of TNS Media Research’s
programmer clients to sign up for the service, with granular insight
into live and time-shifted (DVR) audience ratings at a second-by-second
interval for Discovery’s entire range of networks, including
HD simulcasts and emerging networks.
"In today's competitive marketplace, it is imperative that
Discovery remain ahead of the curve and work with innovative companies
to provide more precise and detailed viewer research," said
Wonya Lucas, Chief Marketing Officer, Discovery Communications.
"As Discovery continues its quest to satisfy curiosity and
support marketers’ goals for increased value and accountability,
the DIRECTView service offers a new level of intelligence and a
strategic edge to our programming and advertising strategies."
The DIRECTView service will enhance the depth of analysis available
to Discovery by leveraging the Return Path Data (RPD) from DIRECTV’s
national footprint of 100,000 satellite television subscribers projectable
to the entire DIRECTV subscriber base of more than 17 million households.
Discovery Communications began working with TNS Media Research in
2007 to measure second-by-second viewing behavior of its HD Theater
channel through the set-top-boxes of 300,000 Charter Communications
households.
TNS Media Research processes DIRECTV’s set-top box (STB)
data and allows for detailed analysis through InfoSys, the most
widely-used media analysis and planning system in the world. InfoSys
will provide Discovery Communications with direct access to in-depth
analytics of program and commercial viewing patterns on a second-by-second
basis.
“We applaud Discovery for taking a leadership step with the
DIRECTView service and we look forward to providing them with the
type of comprehensive accountability and transparency that the marketplace
has been asking for,” said Dean DeBiase, CEO, TNS Media. “The
insights gleaned from DIRECTView will be instrumental in helping
Discovery and its clients make more informed advertising and programming
decisions thanks to the measurement of total viewing activity, including
live and time-shifted (DVR) viewing on a second-by-second basis.”
This announcement supports TNS Media’s strategy of helping
clients translate complex market data into targeted business results.
TNS Media Research’s agreement with Discovery further anchors
its position as the largest global provider of advanced audience
measurement services.
About Discovery Communications
Discovery Communications (Nasdaq: DISCA, DISCB, DISCK) is the world's
number one nonfiction media company reaching more than 1.5 billion
cumulative subscribers in over 170 countries. Discovery empowers
people to explore their world and satisfy their curiosity through
100-plus worldwide networks, led by Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal
Planet, Science Channel, Planet Green, Investigation Discovery and
HD Theater, as well as leading consumer and educational products
and services, and a diversified portfolio of digital media services
including HowStuffWorks.com. For more information, please visit
www.discoverycommunications.com.
About TNS Media
Established in more than 30 countries, TNS Media explores all media
– print, radio, TV, Internet, social media, cinema and outdoor
worldwide, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and offers a full
range of insights, analyses and audience measurement services.
TNS Media combines the deepest expertise in the industry to provide
media and marketing intelligence including advertising expenditure
monitoring, advertising creation monitoring, audience measurement,
market influence analytics, online consumer behavior tracking, news
monitoring, sports sponsorship evaluation and more. The TNS Media
companies track more than 3 million brands and provide vital market
intelligence to 16,000 customers around the world. For further information,
please visit www.tnsmediagroup.com
About Kantar Group and TNS
The Kantar Group is one of the world's largest research, insight
and consultancy networks. By uniting the diverse talents of more
than 20 specialist companies – including the recently-acquired
TNS – the group aims to become the pre-eminent provider of
compelling and actionable insights for the global business community.
Its 26,500 employees work across 80 countries and across the whole
spectrum of research and consultancy disciplines, enabling the group
to offer clients business insights at each and every point of the
consumer cycle. The group’s services are employed by over
half of the Fortune Top 500 companies. For further information,
please visit www.kantargrouptns.com
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