Media Ratings :: Library Resources for Communication Studies

Library Resources for Communication Studies

Media Ratings, Data, and Statistics

Introduction

This guide is intended to function as an overview of media ratings, data, and statistics. It can be used for research on television and radio audiences, marketing communications, and communication policy development.

Suggested Subject Keywords

Broadcasting Research
Cable Television
Mass Media Audiences
Mass Media Ratings
Motion picture audiences Research
Motion pictures Ratings
Radio Audiences
Radio Audiences Research
Radio Programs Rating
Television Audience Measurement
Television Audiences
Television Broadcasting
Television Programs Ratings
Television Rating*
Television Statistics
Television Viewers Research

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Reference Materials

Icon Key: = Paid access = Free access = Available electronically = Available in print

Cable TV Facts, New York, Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau, (annual). Available in print
Contains: Cable Growth Charts, Cable Viewership Charts, and Cable Marketing & Media Planning Charts. Annual paper volume is for sale. Archives for 2006 and 2007 are available online.
Vendor site: http://www.onetvworld.org/main/cab/publications/2008-tv-fact-book-place-y.shtml

Editor & publisher market guide, New York, N.Y.: Editor and Publisher, Co. 1924- (annual). ISSN 1082-0779. Available in print
Provides demographics guide for the newspaper industry.

International Television & Video Almanac, New York, Quigley Pub. Co., (annual), ISSN 0539-0761. Available in print
Provides statistics, directory and lists of interest; sample listings. The first 20 pages review the television and video year, cover statistics, Nielsen Ratings, and awards.

Communications Outlook, Paris; Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, 1990 (annual) Available in print Available for free Available electronically
Provides international communications statistics for OECD countries (and now 5 key non-OECD countries) useful for communications policy development. Online in PDF format. Also available to subscribers of SourceOECD.
Vendor site: http://www.oecd.org/document/17/0,3343,en_2649_34223_38876369_1_1_1_1,00.html

TV Dimensions, New York, N.Y.: Media Dynamics, (annual) ISSN 0884-1098 Available in print Available for free Available electronically
An annual statistical almanac with a variety of tables that covers basic television statistics such as: trends in the field, tv usage, cable tv, reach, programming, viewer attention, commercial impact, etc.
Vendor site: http://www.mediadynamicsinc.com/

Statistical Abstract of the United States, Washington D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Bureau of the Census, (annual) 0081-4741 Available in print
For sale by the GPO.
Browse Section: Information & Communication
Government site: http://www.censusbureau.biz/compendia/statab/

World Almanac and BOok of Facts, New York, NY: Press Publishing Co., (annual) ISSN 0084-1382 Available in print Available electronically
Look under the "Personalities, Arts and Media" section for statistics.

Yearbook = Annuaire = Jahrbuch, Strasbourg, France: Council of Europe, 2002-
Note: Yearbook is issued in 5 volumes, each with their own unique title.
Vol. 1: Economy of the European audiovisual industry;
Vol. 2: Household audiovisual equipments - Transmission - Television audience;
Vol. 3: Film and home video;
Vol. 4: Multimedia and new technologies;
Vol. 5: Television channels - Programme production and distribution.
The yearbook compares, whenever possible, 35 European states. Equivalent data from Japan and the USA help evaluate Europe’s global position. This work is a statistical and quantitative analysis, and an analytical synthesis of recent trends completes each main chapter. The yearbook contains unique data on all four branches of the audiovisual sector: film, television, video and multimedia.

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Periodical Databases/Indexes

Icon Key: = Paid access = Free access = Available electronically = Available in print

Best Bets:

ABI/Inform, 1923 - present Paid Access Available electronically
Three ABI/Inform databases can be searched simultaneously for business, trade, and newspaper coverage of company and industry news: ABI/Inform Dateline (local and regional news, 1985+); ABI/Inform Global (theory and research, 1971+); and ABI/Inofrm Trade & Industry (trade and industry focus, 1971+).
Vendor site: http://www.proquest.com/

Business & Company Resource Center Paid Access Available electronically
Contains company profiles, brand information, rankings, histories, associations, chronologies and periodicals.
Vendor site: http://gale.cengage.com

Business Source Premier Paid Access Available electronically
Business Source Premier provides indexing for more than 2,300 journals including full text back to 1965 for some titles. Communication management, public relations, and marketing communication students can find company and industry data here.
Vendor site: http://www.ebscohost.com/thisTopic.php?marketID=1&topicID=2

Communication & Mass Media Complete (CMMC), 1920 - present Paid Access Available electronically
Updated regularly, CMMC provides indexing for some 400 periodicals, including full text for over 200 titles, in areas related to communication and mass media as well as media ratings. CMMC incorporates CommSearch (formerly produced by the National Communication Association (NCA)), and Mass Media Articles Index (formerly produced by Pennsylvania State University).
Vendor site: http://www.epnet.com/academic/cmmc.asp

Education Resources Information Center (ERIC) Free Access
(also available through commercial interfaces such as EBSCO)
Primarily focused on education research, ERIC indexes a surprising amount of media research. Descriptors include: Audiences; Demography; Listening Habits; Media Research; Participant Characteristics; Public Television; Radio; Television Surveys; Television Viewing
Site: http://www.eric.ed.gov/

LexisNexis Academic Paid Access Available electronically
Updated continually, LexisNexis Academic provides both full-text and abstracts for a wide range of general-interest wire services, newspapers and magazines from around the world, including full text of the New York Times; also provides access to company profiles and financial reports, government transcripts, trade journals and academic and legal databases. Specifically, this database provides access to USA Today, which publishes weekly Nielsen TV ratings (see Core Journals/Trade Publications section).
Vendor site: http://www.lexisnexis.com/academic/universe/academic/

Additional Useful Databases:

Because there is a direct relationship between television ratings and advertising sales, advertising directories and demographic data may be of use.

Ad$pender Paid Access Available electronically
Provides advertising expenditure data for millions of brands across 18 media areas.
Vendor site: http://www.tns-mi.com/prodAcademic.htm

eMarketer Academic Total Access Subscription Paid Access Available electronically
Access to eStat database with over 50,000 charts, articles, graphs, and reports; analyst reports published during the subscription period; access through IP recognition.
Vendor site: http://www.emarketer.com/BrowseResearch.aspx

MASTERFile Premier, 1990 - present Paid Access Available electronically
This database provides access to Variety: the International Entertainment Weekly, which publishes weekly Nielsen TV ratings (see Core Journals/Trade Publications section). This particular database isn’t listed as an individual option, so perhaps it is packaged with some of the other Premier level databases (such as Academic Search Premier and Business Source Premier).
Vendor site: http://www.epnet.com/academic/
(Note: This particular database isn’t listed as an individual option, so perhaps it is packaged with some of the other Premier level databases such as Academic Search Premier and Business Source Premier.)

MRI+ (university Internet Reporter) Paid Access Available electronically
Provides product usage for target demographics. Users must register. Works best on a PC with MS Internet Explorer.
Vendor site: http://www.mriplus.com/cgi-bin/WebObjects/mriplus.woa

Simmons (Experian Consumer Research) Paid Access Available electronically
Provides market research at a moderate price to colleges and universities. Choices 3 data includes data for the Simmons National Consumer Study (NCS, ages 18+), Teen Study (ages 12-17), the Kids Study (ages 6-11) and the Hispanic Study.
Vendor site: http://www.smrb.com/aspx/content.aspx?pid=1&sid=173&page=About_Client_Intranet

SRDS
Directory to assist advertisement agencies in ad placement. Includes circulation, rates, and demographic information. Services include: Consumer Magazine, Direct Marketing List Source, Newspaper Advertising Source, Out-of-Home Advertising Source, Interactive Advertising Source, and TV and Cable Source. Paid Access Available electronically
Vendor site: http://www.srds.com/library/

United States Census Free Access Available electronically
Key government site for American demographic data. American Factfinder is a user friendly way to access data.
Vendor site: http://factfinder.census.gov/home/saff/main.html?_lang=en

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Web Sites

AdvertisingAge: Data Center
http://adage.com/datacenter/
The Annual 2008 Top Line Data provides facts on the ad industry.

Arbitron National Radio Services
http://www.arbitron.com/national_radio/home.htm
Arbitron National Radio Services provides listening information on radio networks, radio syndicators, public radio and satellite radio. A selection of Radio and Internet studies is free and immediately available for download (e.g., Black Radio Today 2004, National In-Car Study, Power of Hispanic Consumers, etc.)

Broadcasting & Cable
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/
Trade publication covering the television industry.

Center for Media Research: for Planners and buyers of Advertising Media
http://www.centerformediaresearch.com/
Media research digests from the Center for Media Research (MediaPost Communications) from a variety of media measurement agencies. Includes briefings, reports, studies, resources and links.

Mediaweek.com
http://www.mediaweek.com
“One-stop” shop for breaking media news and TV ratings. The Data Center includes: Market Profile, Magazine Monitor, Rapid Report, Buzzmetrics, and SRDS analytics. See Also the “Programming Insider” podcast or chat by Marc Berman under the Community tab.

NationMaster
http://www.nationmaster.com/index.php
A central data source that collates international information from a variety of credible resources such as the CIA World Factbook, UN and OECD. Try the Countries A-Z tab, choose a country, then click on Facts and Figures for “Media”.

Newsweek Media Research Index
http://www.vmr.com/research/
The Newsweek Media Research Index is a directory of major studies and reports spanning four decades. This index is made available through the generosity of Newsweek. It represents an extraordinary bibliography of over 700 studies journal articles, conference papers and books, including many international contributions.

Nielsen Media Research Ethnic Television Audience Measurement
http://www.nielsenmedia.com/ethnicmeasure/
Provides an overview of how Nielsen Media Research measures and reports the viewing habits of ethnic groups in the United States. Information is also included about the television viewing habits of the two largest ethnic groups, the African-American and Hispanic-American television audiences.

Nielsen’s Top 10 TV Ratings in the U.S.
http://www.nielsenmedia.com
Lists of Top Ten Ratings, updated weekly, for the following categories: Broadcast TV Programs, Cable TV Programs, Syndicated TV Programs, TV Programs Among African-Americans, and TV Programs Among Hispanics. Also includes links to Top-Rated Historic Programs, and background information on how ratings are tabulated and what they really mean.
Select Inside TV Ratings, Ratings & Data, Top TV Ratings.

RadioandRecords.com
http://www.radioandrecords.com/RRWebSite/
Founded in 1973, serves the radio and record industries. Site includes charts, ratings, conventions, resources, and a directory. The Ratings tab gives market ratings on a quarterly basis; it is copyrighted to Arbitron, Inc. and cannot be quoted or reproduced without permission from Arbitron. Charts include plays and audience for a variety of music types. The data copyrighted to Nielson Company; no unauthorized copying is permitted.

TV by the Numbers
http://tvbythenumbers.com/
Blog by Bill Gorman and Robert Seidman that logs data about the television industry.

Zap2it
http://www.zap2it.com/television/news/ratings
Site provides access to Network Primetime Averages by week (for ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and WB), a weekly Top 20 Network Primetime Report, Nielsen’s Daily Headlines/DAILY Overnight Rankings, a season-to-date Top 20 Network Primetime Series by Households, a weekly Top 15 Cable Programs – Total Households, a weekly Top 25 Syndicated Series – Total Households, and a Top 20 Sports Events – Total Households.

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Journals & Trade Publications

Note: For title changes consult a serials directory such as Ulrich’s Periodicals Directory. Many of the titles listed below are available full text and historically through the aggregated databases above.

TelevisionWeek ISSN 1544-0516
Weekly Prime-Time Ratings per week for: time-slot winner by households; nightly winner by households. Archived for one year. Includes TVR Ratings News.
Site: http://www.tvweek.com/ratings/?pageId=10

USA Today ISSN 0734-7456
Newspaper. Gannett Newspapers. 1982-current
Wednesday’s edition of this national newspaper includes Nielsen TV ratings for primetime shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and WB.
Site: http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/nielsens-charts.htm

Variety: the International Entertainment Weekly ISSN 0042-2738 Trade publication. Reed Business Information. 1905-current
Publishes Nielsen Syndication Ratings and a Nielsen Report on a weekly basis for primetime shows on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, UPN and WB.
Site: http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=charts_layout

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Companies

Arbitron has been historically recognized as the measurement standard for radio and Nielson for television. As media moves to the Internet, competition has grown for audience measurement. Some of the often cited companies are noted, below. Market Research is sold at high costs to advertisers. Given this corporate relationship, market research has been difficult to get for academics and public policy research. Companies with academic products include: TNS Media (see above), MRI+ (see above), eMarketer and Simmons. JupiterResearch will sell to academies. Media Research Hub (see below) is working for greater access to media data for scholars and policy makers.

Arbitron National Radio Services
Arbitron National Radio Services provides listening information on radio networks, radio syndicates, public radio and satellite radio. A selection of Radio and Internet studies is free and immediately available for download (e.g., Black Radio Today 2004, National In-Car Study, Power of Hispanic Consumers, etc.)
Site: http://www.arbitron.com/national_radio/home.htm

comScore
Site: http://www.comscore.com/about/

eMarketer
Site: http://www.emarketer.com/BrowseResearch.aspx?src=research_topnav_home

Forrester
Site: http://www.forrester.com/FactSheet

Informa Telecom & Media
Site: http://www.informatm.com/itmgcontent/icoms/index.html

JupiterResearch LLC
Site: http://www.jupiterresearch.com/bin/item.pl/home/
Email: saldiero@jupiterresearch.com (7/07)

Nielsen Media Research Ethnic Television Audience Measurement
Provides an overview of how Nielsen Media Research measures and reports the viewing habits of ethnic groups in the United States. Information is also included about the television viewing habits of the two largest ethnic groups, the African-American and Hispanic-American television audiences.
Site: http://www.nielsenmedia.com/ethnicmeasure/

Nielsen Media Research Reports
Nielsen makes a number of non-subscriber reports, maps, and PDFs available. Some reports are quite affordable while others are pricey, ranging up to $750.
Site: http://www.vnuemedia.com/nielsenmediaresearch/store/index.jsp

Nielsen's Top 10 TV Ratings in the U.S.
Some free data is available under Inside TV Ratings > Ratings & Data > Top TV Ratings
Lists of Top Ten Ratings, updated weekly, for the following categories: Broadcast TV Programs, Cable TV Programs, Syndicated TV Programs, TV Programs Among African-Americans, and TV Programs Among Hispanics.
Site: http://www.nielsenmedia.com

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Organizations & Associations

Audit Bureau of Circulations
Audits circulation statistics for magazines to assist advertisers with media sales. Provides free reports.
Site: http://www.accessabc.com/products/freereports.htm

Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB)
Organization that provides advertising agencies with media data on cable television. The research tab contains: TV facts, ad expenditures, primetime performance, industry studies, research briefs, and audience measures (primetime and total daily ratings for the week).
Site: http://www.onetvworld.org/main/cab/research/index.shtml

Magazine Publishers of America (MPA)
Publishes the Magazine Handbook (annual); available online as a PDF. Some data is free, some is for members only
Site: http://www.magazine.org/Circulation/circulation_trends_and_magazine_handbook/

MediaResearchHub (SSRC)
The Data Consortium tab intends to collect data for public policy development and educational research. Much of the data has been is owned and collected by market research agencies at prices that researchers and policy makers can not afford. The Consortium groups scholars and interested parties together to collectively bargain for public access to this data. Access varies to the following types: open access, some restrictions, or commercial
Site: http://mediaresearchhub.ssrc.org/news

OECD Directorate for Science, Technology and Industry
Includes ICT Indicators and Reports.
Site: http://www.oecd.org/department/0,3355,en_2649_34223_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

Radio Advertising Bureau
See the “Radio Research Reports” under the radio tab.
Site: http://www.rab.com/public/RadioResearchPage.cfm

Television Bureau of Advertising (TBA)
http://www.rab.com/public/RadioResearchPage.cfm
Site: http://www.tvb.org/nav/build_frameset.asp
Site: http://www.rab.com/public/RadioResearchPage.cfm

United Nations Common Database
This is not the place to come for ratings data. Use this site to find international statistics on book production, cell phone subscribers, cinema attendance, radio and television receivers, etc. Data is available for more than 60 countries worldwide often for a time span of over five years. Data can be formatted in HTML, CSV or XLS.
Site: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/cdb/cdb_topic_xrxx.asp?topic_code=10 - Topic: Communication and culture [code 10]

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Content by: Jenifer Flaxbart
Created: August 2, 2004
Revised by: Cathy Michael, June 2008
Electronic Resources in Communication Studies Committee Member List