Research Guides: Business of Media: Audiences & Markets

Television Ratings and Viewership

Nielsen Media Research is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films, and newspapers. Nielsen data are not publicly accessible. NYU Libraries has access to freely available summaries of Nielsen data as well as access to some Nielsen data through third-party databases--Simply Analytics and SRDS. Below are links to a few of these resources:

Nielsen | Top Ten
Nielsen Media releases a free weekly list of the most watched and most played media, including streaming, TV, advertising, and video games.
Free Nielsen "Insights" reports
Some free data and reports are available via the "Insights," link from this page, including demographic, company, and state of the media reports.

SimplyAnalytics This link opens in a new window
SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping, analytics and data visualization program providing data variables. Users have access to demographics, marketing data, consumer behavior (purchasing and product usage data), market segments, health, and business points for States, Congressional Districts, Counties, Cities/Places, ZIP Codes, Census Tracts and Block Groups. Users can also export data, maps, reports and shapefiles for use outside of SimplyAnalytics. Now includes Nielsen Scarborough Data Module.
Users are not required to log-in with a user name and password; however, in order to save your work, it is recommended that you create your own user account. SimplyMap user accounts are still functional in the SimplyAnalytics interface.
Simmons Insights This link opens in a new window
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MRI Simmons Insights provides a platform for users to access data and analytic tools based on annual consumer surveys. Users can explore consumer demographics, behavior, psychographics, brand preferences, and all major media behaviors covering television, online, mobile, print, radio, social media, and more. NYU subscribes to the Brand and Sales Catalyst modules.
Requires NetID login on and off-campus. Academic data is delayed two years. Use the "Dictionary Search" button to access the legacy interface.

TV Ratings Guide
TV Ratings Guide is a website authored by a collective of independent writers devoted to collecting and analyzing television ratings data in the United States. The site also offers critical reviews of series on broadcast, network and online programming, and posts (unverified) historic Nielsen ratings data.
TV Dimensions
This reference book provides a number of statistics related to television viewership, markets, and more.
Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB)
The Research Central portion of this site contains weekly television program ratings and national ratings reports by specific demographics. Most data is for the current year; some data goes back to 2003. Some information is members-only.
Adweek.com | Ratings
Adweek.com has a "Ratings" page that includes ratings of and articles about TV shows in the current season.
American Time Use Survey
Conducted by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) measures the amount of time people spend doing various activities, such as paid work, childcare, volunteering, and socializing. Includes some television viewing statistics.
Complete Broadcasting Industry Guide: Television, Radio, Cable & Streaming
Publication Date: 2020 - present
Complete Television, Radio & Cable Industry Directory
Publication Date: 2019
Broadcasting and Cable Yearbook
Publication Date: 1993 - 2009
This reference book provides basic television and cable viewing statistics.

Website, Online Marketing and Social Media Metrics

eMarketer This link opens in a new window
eMarketer monitors, aggregates, and analyzes data in the form of analyst reports from resources supplied by research firms, consultancies, government agencies, and universities. Includes market research and trend analysis on Internet, e-business, marketing and advertising, media and entertainment and emerging technologies.
A valid NYU NetId and password is required to access this resource
Statista This link opens in a new window
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Statista aggregates data on markets, industry, politics, economics, and population. Users can export datasets in a variety of formats. Sources include trade publications, market and opinion research institutions, government sources, business and economic databases, reference publications, media sources, and scholarly articles. Include Statista's "Global Consumer Survey", which helps marketers understand consumer behavior and brand interaction.

Pew Internet and American Life Project
Provides access to academic studies and statistics of the Internet's growth and social impacts.
U.S. Census Bureau: Computer and Internet Use
The U.S. Census Bureau has been collecting data on computers and Internet use sporadically since 1984 in the Current Population Survey (CPS). In 1984, 1989, and 1993, only questions about computers were asked. In 1997, the CPS asked questions about Internet access for the first time. In 2000, 2001, 2003, and 2010, questions were asked about both computers and Internet use. The American Community Survey (ACS) has collected data about computers and Internet use annually since 2013.
SimilarWeb
Similarweb ranks websites and apps based on traffic and engagement metrics; the free edition provides a good snapshot of a site, whereas the paid edition is often used by large companies. Its rankings are calculated according to the collected datasets and updated on a monthly basis. It analyzes 210 categories of websites and apps in dozens countries, and bases its website ranking system on traffic and engagement data, and its app ranking system (for Apple iOS apps in the App Store and Android apps on Google Play) on installs and active user data.

Newspaper and Magazine Circulation and Readership

SRDS Media Solutions This link opens in a new window
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SRDS Media Solutions provides advertising rates and circulation information for U.S. and international media properties including magazines, newspapers, radio, TV/cable, and more. SRDS includes Claritas 360, a customer and market analysis tool that includes Nielsen and PRIZM data.
Users accessing the Local Market Audience Analyst must use Internet Explorer.

Media Kits
A publication's media kit is a pre-packaged set of promotional materials that provide audience demographic information and circulation statistics. Often the media kits are available for free. Try Googling the name of the magazine and the phrase "media kit". e.g., Esquire and media kit.
Alliance for Audited Media
The Alliance for Audited Media (AAM) database provides access to circulation and subscription figures for hundreds of major US and Canadian magazines and newspapers via the "Media Intelligence Center" resource. Subscription information is available for both print and digital resources. Historical data goes back about 10 years for each title.
To request access to AAM's "Media Intelligence Center," please contact SCGP@nyu.edu.
Pew Research Center Project for Excellence in Journalism
Includes data sets related to news coverage of events; also includes the annually produced "State of the News Media" which includes charts and tables of viewing patterns for news in cable tv, network tv, newspapers, etc.
Gale Directory of Publications and Broadcast Media
Publication Date: 1987 - present
The Gale Directory of Publications (published annually from 1987 - present) contains listings for radio and television stations and cable companies. Print media entries provide address; phone, fax numbers, and e-mail addresses; key personnel, including feature editors; and much more. Broadcast media entries provide address; phone, fax, and e-mail addresses; key personnel; owner information; hours of operation; networks carried and more. Scope includes U.S., Canadian, and international media.
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Individual years of publication may appear in the NYU Libraries catalog as separate catalog entries.

Historical Periodical Directories and Circulation Data

Geo. P. Rowell & Co.'s American Newspaper Directory (1869-1879)
Provided the first complete list of American newspapers and included estimates of their circulation.
N.W. Ayer & Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory
N.W. Ayer and Son's American Newspaper Annual and Directory was a directory to US newspapers and periodicals, arranged by state and city, published in the late 19th and 20th centuries. Available online from the Library of Congress and the Hathi Trust from 1880-1923.
The IMS Ayer Directory of Publications (via NYPL)
The New York Public Library provides access to the physical volumes of the Ayer Directory, a directory of print media published in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. The directory was published annually from 1880-1986, when it became the Gale Directory of Publications.
Former titles for this volume:
N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual 1880-1909
N.W. Ayer & Son's American newspaper annual and directory 1910-1929
N.W. Ayer & Son's directory, newspapers and periodicals 1930-1969
Ayer directory, newspapers, magazines and trade publications 1970-1971
Ayer directory of publications 1972-1982

Music Industry - Sales and Audience

Performer or album-specific sales data is proprietary information held by individual recording companies, and is often difficult to find in any comprehensive or detailed form. However, publications such as Billboard compile and publish charts on the weeks top albums and artists that can approximate this data. The list below contains a few suggested resources available to begin your search. Other possible sources for sales information are books about music history, biographies on individual artists, bibliographies and discographies.

Music Industry Data
Compiles music chart information on individual artists, albums, and singles from Billboard, Official Chart Company, and other reporting agencies from around the world. Does not include actual sales, though chart positions are based on sales and streaming data.
Music Index Online (Ebsco)
Find popular sources, scholarly articles, and trade publications on the music industry, markets, artists and albums.

Statista This link opens in a new window
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Statista aggregates data on markets, industry, politics, economics, and population. Users can export datasets in a variety of formats. Sources include trade publications, market and opinion research institutions, government sources, business and economic databases, reference publications, media sources, and scholarly articles. Include Statista's "Global Consumer Survey", which helps marketers understand consumer behavior and brand interaction.

Recording Industry Association of America
The RIAA collects and compiles information on the number of "shipments," or physical and digital sales of records, tapes, CDs, digital downloads, mobile sales, and subscription services. From the "Research" tab you can access reports on U.S. shipment numbers, the music industry, and music consumer profiles.

Radio

Radio Advertising Bureau
The Radio Advertising Bureau is an advocacy and research group that serves US radio stations in the U.S. The RAB conducts research and aggregates sales and advertising data to promote radio stations. Much of the research is available to members only for a fee, but some of the reports are freely available.
Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron)
Scroll down to the section "Additional resources for Nielsen Audio" for free content available.