Nielsen modernizes, launching “mSurvey” for digital data collection

Audience measurement giant Nielsen has launched mSurvey, a modernization of how the influential data company collects the opinions and habits of U.S. radio listeners. mSurvey is a digital diary mechanism, intended to complement or replace the traditional (and arguably ancient) paper diaries. 

Perhaps of greater influence, the product becomes more holistic, branching out to measure listening data for podcasts, satellite radio, and digital music streams. The change is expected to represent a broader scope of targeted demographics, especially younger and more diverse groups. 

Participating users are given an access code for logging in to the new system portal. There, participants also submit their email addresses.

In Fred Jacobs’ coverage of this news (HERE)  he is saddened that the modernization took so long, but observes: “You have to respect Nielsen’s – and before them, Arbitron’s – methodical process.  When you’re dealing with ratings in hundreds of local metros, there’s a lot of debugging to do.”