Fox, Nielsen renew local television ratings deal

Nielsen has a new long-term renewal agreement in place with Fox Television Stations for audience measurement services.

The deal includes Fox TV licensing Nielsen's Local Television ratings across the station group's 28 stations including the Charlotte, North Carolina, Fox-owned and -operated WJZY/WMYT, which was not in the previous agreement. Fox’s national sales representative group is also part of the renewal agreement.

Fox's owned-and-operated stations and national sales will get access to Nielsen’s currency measurement and its Local TV panels with data from its Portable People Meter technology and set-top boxes, which intend to supply larger sample sizes and increased ratings fidelity. Nielsen is also now including out-of-home audience in local measurement.

"Fox continues to be at the forefront of delivering valuable local content to its viewers," said Jeff Wender, managing director for Nielsen Local Media, in a statement. "This strategic agreement builds on the long-term relationship and mutual respect that exists between Fox Television Stations Group and Nielsen. We are excited to deliver an enhanced local measurement portfolio for more strategic decision making and increased ROI to advertisers."

RELATED: CBS, Nielsen renew deal for local TV measurement

The new deal with Fox comes roughly one month after Nielsen renewed a similar agreement with CBS and its owned-and-operated stations in 17 U.S. markets.

CBS’s stations will use Nielsen products including Local Digital in TV Ratings to get a more complete picture of over-the-air and digital audiences. CBS will be able to view consumers’ viewing habits and create specific trading areas by geography, audience characteristics or demographics.

“As many American cities are becoming more diverse and populations continue to grow, it’s critical for TV stations to have a complete picture of who’s viewing their content,” said David Poltrack, chief research officer at CBS and president of CBS VISION, in a statement. “Nielsen’s local television services enable us to maximize our viewership and deliver value to our local advertisers.”