VNU and ACNielsen team up to better measure video and DVD sales

ACNielsen, an operating unit of ACNielsen Corporation and VideoScan today announced the formation of a strategic venture to launch Videoscan, the most complete pre-recorded video and DVD sales tracking service available.
The service will generate information compiled from the grocery, drug, mass, specialty and direct-to-consumer channels, providing nearly 100% coverage of pre-recorded video and DVD sales channels.

Robert Tomei, ACNielsen senior vice president of marketing in the U.S., said, “We are extremely excited about partnering with VNU. Our combined coverage and experience provides the most powerful service available for tracking and understanding sales of pre-recorded videos and DVDs. This partnership will also provide movie studios with a much more complete package of analytic, consumer
knowledge and category management tools than ever before.”

ACNielsen will utilize Scantrack, its core retail measurement service, to track sales of pre-recorded videos and DVDs through discount mass merchandisers, drug stores and grocery stores. VideoScan will provide coverage of other mass merchandise and specialty retailers, as well as direct mail and Internet channels.

The new service will be marketed as “Videoscan, a Service of VNU and ACNielsen.” Beyond being the preeminent source of sales information for specific video and DVD titles, Videoscan will also provide sales figures by individual retail chains, consumer insights through the ACNielsen Homescan(TM) Consumer Panel, decision support and merchandising software, and custom analysis through the ACNielsen in-house advanced analytics group, KnowledgeWorks(TM). The new service will be available in the first quarter of 2000.

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