Rupert Murdoch's News Corp has taken its row with Nielsen Media Research over the new US TV ratings system all the way to Capitol Hill, claiming black and Hispanic viewers are being undercounted.
Nielsen, which tracks TV viewing throughout the US, has been replacing the paper diaries it has used since the 1950s with electronic people meters in the 10 largest local TV markets.
Since Nielsen began introducing the meters in cities such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Chicago, the audience of the big broadcasters, including News Corp's Fox stations, has plunged.
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The number watching cable channels such as the Black Entertainment Network, Discovery, the History Channel and MTV have shot up. Fox's audience has slid 30% in some markets, while cable audiences have tripled.
News Corp argues that the meters undercount black and Hispanic viewers because they have difficulty measuring viewing in large households. Nielsen contends News Corp does not want to face up to the fact that audiences flick between the hundreds of channels rather than stay tuned to one programme. "There are two ways to get good ratings," Nielsen spokesman Jack Loftus said. "You try to jimmy the ratings service, or you put on good programming."
Nielsen says the meter, which automatically records every channel change, is far more accurate than the paper diaries, which rely on memory. Advertisers back the meters.
News Corp has run print, TV and email campaigns against the system. The row has reached Washington, with legislation recently introduced in Congress which would require ratings systems to be approved by the industry watchdog, the Media Rating Council, before they could be used.
News Corp and Nielsen have been recruiting politicians to their cause. According to the Wall Street Journal, News has hired Democratic operatives including Al Gore's adviser, Mike Feldman, and Bill Clinton strategist Chris Lehane.
Last month the Association of National Advertisers and the American Advertising Federation lodged formal opposition to regulation of TV ratings.
