Nielsen will discontinue television and radio audience measurement in Puerto Rico in December, according to a report published on Monday.
The report, from Inside Radio, said the move will effectively leave all broadcast stations in Puerto Rico without a measurement solution, affecting more than 3 million media consumers on the island and raises questions about how local TV and radio advertising will be bought and sold after Nielsen exits.
“As a global organization, we must continuously evaluate how we deploy our resources across all regions,” a Nielsen representative said in a statement provided to Inside Radio.
Nielsen said it would work with local stakeholders to facilitate an orderly transition after more than 15 years of measuring audiences in Puerto Rico.
“As we carry out this transition, we are fully committed to doing so with care and responsibility—ensuring that the interests of the industry remain supported,” the company said. “We will work alongside local stakeholders throughout this process to facilitate a thoughtful and orderly handover.”
Nielsen’s customer base for Puerto Rico radio measurement has declined substantially. Five companies currently subscribe to Nielsen Audio, and their stations collectively account for less than 20 percent of radio listening in the market.
Subscribers include Hemisphere Media Group, International Broadcasting, RAAD Broadcasting, Puerto Rico Public Broadcasting and Educational Media Foundation, which operates K-Love affiliate WJKL (105.7 FM).
Spanish Broadcasting System, one of Puerto Rico’s larger radio operators, does not subscribe to Nielsen Audio in the market. Its stations include the tropical “Z93” simulcast carried by WZNT (93.7 FM), WZMT (93.3 FM) and WIOB (97.5 FM).
Under Nielsen’s Subscriber First policy, listening to non-subscribing stations is excluded from the summary dataset used by major advertising buying systems. The subscribing stations account for a combined 19.3 average-quarter-hour share, leaving nearly 80 percent of market listening outside the dataset.
Radio broadcasters face the greatest measurement gap because no competing ratings company currently tracks the Puerto Rico market. Eastlan Ratings measures radio listening in 67 markets, but Puerto Rico is not among them, Inside Radio noted.
Television stations have more options. Comscore, iSpot.tv and VideoAmp provide alternative television and video measurement products that could help replace some Nielsen services.
