China’s TV ad revenues… and how they are measured

Television Asia: " China�s TV ad revenues� and how they are measured
Prime-time (7pm-9pm) advertising revenue in January 2004 dropped by an average of 25% year-on-year at some mainland China stations, according to Nielsen Media Research. The drop was a result of new regulations, effective 1 January 2004, that limit available prime-time airtime and product categories. Nielsen�s latest data out of China also showed that viewers in major markets - Beijing, Guangzhou, Shanghai and Changsha - spend an average of three to four hours a day watching television. Viewers in Suzhou, Nanning, Harbin and Hefei spend an average of two hours watching TV. Movies and animation are most popular among different age groups in Shanghai, Beijing, Congqing and Chengdu. Dramas are preferred in Ningbo, Wushi, Nanchang and Guiyang. The findings were released as part of Nielsen�s announcement that its China expansion programme, launched mid-2003, has reached the 50% coverage mark of key cities. The total project, which includes increasing coverage of TV measurement markets from 11 to more than 100 by end 2004, is scheduled for completion in 2005. Nielsen currently covers 60% of China�s TV advertising expenditure and 37 million viewers. When completed, the service will cover 75% of China�s total TV advertising spending and more than 800 million TV viewers. China has 1.1 billion television viewers and more than 800 TV stations. "