NBC Signs Pact With Nielsen

NBC Universal, owner of the top-rated broadcast television network, said Thursday that it signed a seven-year contract with Nielsen Media Research Inc., in one of the strongest endorsements of Nielsen’s new tracking technology.

The media arm of General Electric Co. will rely on Nielsen for audience measurement of all of its national and local television businesses, including NBC Universal domestic TV, Spanish-language Telemundo, CNBC, MSNBC and its locally owned and operated television stations, the companies said.

Terms were not disclosed.

Nielsen’s people meter technology tracks viewer habits through clicks on a remote control. The meters replaced paper diaries that viewers were asked to fill out periodically.

The new system came under fire from minority groups, politicians and Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. Early data showed a steep drop in viewership for shows targeting some African American and Latino households. And several of News Corp.’s Fox-owned stations suffered ratings declines under the new system.