English | Español

Nielsen Media Homes

What’s next starts with you

At Nielsen, we measure what content people watch and listen to. We have done this for more than 50 years. Most of our knowledge and data comes directly from people like you. We rely on real people to understand how audiences watch TV, stream and listen to music and podcasts.

To measure all of this, we ask people to be part of our panels. A panel is a small group that has the same traits (like race, gender, etc.) as a larger group of people. Some of our panels are made up of Nielsen Families, also known as Nielsen Homes or Nielsen Households. Nielsen Families are people who allow us to measure what they watch on TV and listen to on the radio. We take what we learn from them and produce the ratings.

How it works

Our Nielsen representatives will give you everything you need to participate and help you get started. By viewing TV and streaming as you normally do—whether it’s a little or a lot—you’re letting us know what you like to watch. Your viewing information is carefully collected and sent to Nielsen, where it is combined with other participating households in your area and analyzed to get the Nielsen ratings. We share this information with the TV industry and media companies so they can program shows that people like you want to watch. And you’re even given thank-you gifts for participating.

What Nielsen participants are saying

Becoming a Nielsen Family is a chance to have your voice heard and represent your community. By contributing to the ratings, you’re letting the media and advertising industries know what you, and people like you, prefer to watch and listen to. And you belong to an important group—there are tens of thousands of Nielsen Families across the U.S.

Listen to what former Nielsen families have to say.

Frequently asked questions

About Nielsen Ratings

What are the Nielsen Ratings?

Are ratings the same as reviews?

How to join

I received mail from Nielsen. Is it legitimate?

What if a Nielsen representative visits my home?

I lost the Nielsen contact information. What should I do?

Selection process

Who do you select?

Do I have to pay to participate?

What does a Nielsen Family get for participating?

Can I volunteer to be a Nielsen Family?

Can I talk about being a Nielsen Family?

Respecting your privacy

How did Nielsen get my contact information?

How is my information kept private?

Will Nielsen try to sell me anything, or sell my name and address to marketers?

If Nielsen does business in more than 50 countries, then what impact do I have on local communities?

Privacy principles

Your contribution is important to us, and we protect your privacy. Nielsen will never use your personally identifiable information (such as your name, address, or email address) to advertise, promote or market third-party goods or services directly to you, and we use various methods to make sure that an individual cannot be identified in the reports that we create for our clients. More about privacy

Panel representation

At Nielsen, diversity and inclusion are a part of our DNA. This is reflected in everything we do—from creating an inclusive workplace to selecting panels that truly embrace the most backgrounds and experiences.