Nielsen modernizes, launching "mSurvey" for digital data collection

"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."

"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."

Nielsen has introduced mSurvey, a modernized digital diary system designed to replace traditional paper-based methods for collecting U.S. radio listener data. The platform expands measurement capabilities beyond radio to include podcasts, satellite radio, and digital music streams, creating a more comprehensive listening measurement approach. Participants access the system through a portal using an access code and submit email addresses. This modernization aims to capture broader demographic representation, particularly reaching younger and more diverse audiences. While the transition took considerable time, the methodical approach reflects the complexity of managing ratings across hundreds of local markets and the extensive debugging required for such a large-scale system.

Read at RAIN News