Pay television , also known as subscription television , premium television or, when referring to an individual service, a premium channel , refers to subscription -based television services, usually provided by multichannel television providers, but also increasingly via digital terrestrial and streaming television . In the United States, subscription television began in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the form of encrypted analog over-the-air broadcast television which could be decrypted with special equipment. The concept rapidly expanded through the multi-channel transition and into the post-network era . Other parts of the world beyond the United States, such as France and Latin America have also offered encrypted analog terrestrial signals available for subscription.
79-550: TV Land is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through its networks division . Originally a spinoff of Nick at Nite consisting exclusively of classic television shows, the channel now airs a combination of recent and classic television series (ranging from the 1960s to the 2020s), original scripted series and limited theatrically released movies. The network is headquartered at One Astor Plaza in New York City. As of November 2023, TV Land
158-401: A brand licensing agreement with Viacom (which later acquired a minority ownership stake in the channel months after its launch). On August 2, 2010, TV Land Canada was rebranded as Comedy Gold , reformatting the channel as an offshoot of The Comedy Network . The rebranded channel focuses primarily on sitcoms and sketch-comedy programs from the 1970s to the 1990s. Viacom sold back its stake in
237-469: A trial period , often one to three months, though there have been rare instances of free trials for pay services that last up to one year for newer subscribers to that provider's television service. Pay television has become popular with cable and satellite television . Pay television services often, at least two to three times per year, provide free previews of their services, in order to court potential subscribers by allowing this wider audience to sample
316-622: A Turkish advertising intelligence firm. VNU was acquired by a group of six private equity firms: the American Kohlberg Kravis Roberts , Thomas H. Lee Partners , Blackstone Group , Carlyle Group and Hellman & Friedman , and Dutch equity firm AlpInvest Partners for £5bn. In the same year, the group hired David L. Calhoun, formerly of General Electric , as CEO. He renamed VNU as The Nielsen Company in 2007. VNU sold its business publications division for €320m (£210m) to venture capital group 3i , which then sold
395-571: A button to signify when they are in the room and push it again when they leave, even if the TV is still on. This form of measurement was intended to provide a more accurate picture of who was watching and when. In July 2008, Nielsen released the first in a series of quarterly reports, detailing video and TV usage across the 'three screens' – Television, Internet and Mobile devices. The A2/M2 Three Screen Report also includes trends in timeshifted viewing behavior and its relationship to online video viewing,
474-406: A crude decrypting of the over-the-air television signal and a decoding box, but never caught on for use at that time. It took another four decades when cable broadcasters started using pay-per-view on a widespread basis. "Free" variants are free-to-air (FTA) and free-to-view (FTV); however, FTV services are normally encrypted and decryption cards either come as part of an initial subscription to
553-491: A demographic breakdown of mobile video viewers and DVR penetration. On September 30, 2016, Nielsen made its Digital Content Ratings available in full syndication for clients. On September 9, 2016, Nielsen announced that it would retire its paper TV diaries by mid-2017 and provide all electronic measurement in its local television ratings. Nielsen was acquired by the Dun & Bradstreet Company in 1984. In 1996, D&B divided
632-632: A focus on their parent companies' libraries, with HBO Now replaced by HBO Max (now Max) in 2020 (which adds content from other Warner Bros. properties and third-parties, and would also be included with existing HBO subscriptions via television providers), and Showtime formally merging with Paramount+ in 2023. Canadian premium service The Movie Network similarly merged with the CraveTV service owned by parent company Bell Media in 2018. Pay-per-view (PPV) services are similar to subscription-based pay television services in that customers must pay to have
711-481: A joint venture called AGB Nielsen Media Research with WPP Group 's AGB Group, a European competitor which provides similar services. VNU acquired a majority stake in Buzzmetrics, a company which measures consumer-generated media online. Under the new ownership, Nielsen bought the remaining shares of the company in 2007. In the same year, Nielsen acquired Telephia, which measures mobile media, and Bilesim Medya,
790-472: A launch-day lineup that rebroadcast numerous series premieres , pilot episodes and television firsts. The network's original lineup consisted of Hill Street Blues ; St. Elsewhere ; The Ed Sullivan Show ; Gunsmoke ; That Girl ; The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour ; Honey West ; The Addams Family ; Love, American Style ; Petticoat Junction ; Green Acres ; The Phil Silvers Show ; and Hogan's Heroes . The channel launched during
869-513: A lower subscription fee. These are called "mini-pay" channels (a term also used for smaller scale commercial-free pay television services) and are often sold as a part of a package with numerous similarly priced channels. Usually, however, the regular pricing for premium channels ranges from just under $ 10 to near $ 25 per month per suite, with lower prices available via bundling options with cable or satellite providers, or special limited offers which are available during free preview periods or before
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#1732780238051948-535: A mix of original series, films, and specials. The shift towards SVOD has resulted in increasing competition within the sector, with media conglomerates having launched their own services (such as Disney+ , Paramount+ , Peacock , and Disney's acquisition of the majority of Hulu ) to compete, and existing premium networks such as HBO ( HBO Now ) and Showtime launching direct-to-consumer versions of their existing services to appeal to cord cutters . HBO and Showtime later absorbed their DTC offerings into wider services with
1027-551: A pay television bouquet – in other words, an offer of pay-TV channels – or can be purchased for a one-time cost. FTA and FTV systems may still have selective access. ABC Australia is one example, as much of its programming content is free-to-air except for National Rugby League (NRL) games, which are encrypted. Nielsen Holdings Nielsen Holdings plc (or Nielsen ) is an American media audience measurement firm. Nielsen operates in over 100 countries and employs approximately 15,000 people worldwide. For most of its history,
1106-559: A practical management tool. The holding company was originally incorporated in the Netherlands and later was purchased on May 24, 2006, by a consortium of private equity firms . In January 2011, Nielsen consummated an initial public offering of common stock and, subsequently, started trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "NLSN". On August 31, 2015, Nielsen N.V., a Dutch public company listed on
1185-661: A proposal that resulted in a change in the company's legal domicile, from the Netherlands to the United Kingdom. Upon approval, the company became incorporated under English law and was registered as a public limited company to be named Nielsen Holdings PLC . Up to 2022, James Attwood Jr. was Nielsen's non-executive chairman, who succeeded Dave Calhoun as Executive Chairman in January 2016. Prior to joining Nielsen as CEO in 2006, Dave Calhoun served as Vice Chairman of
1264-548: A record audience for the channel. (The success of that series led to a spinoff called The Soul Man , which debuted in June 2012.) This was followed by the January 19, 2011, debut of Retired at 35 . In November 2014, amid growing allegations of sexual assault against Bill Cosby , the network removed reruns of The Cosby Show from its lineup and deleted all references of the series from its website. A marathon of The Cosby Show episodes that had been scheduled for Thanksgiving
1343-638: A reported price of $ 650 million. VNU merged much of the purchased Miller Freeman assets into VNU Expositions. VNU subsequently divested themselves of a few former Miller Freeman assets. VNU announced a heavy restructuring of its technology news portal, VNUNet, in February 2001. Ten employees were laid off due to the plan. The company disposed of its entire magazine publishing arm later in 2001 to Sanoma for €1.25 million, and sold its newspaper properties to Wegener . Focusing instead on market research and data collection, it acquired AC Nielsen in 2001, recombining
1422-693: A restriction as a few providers optionally sell that service without requiring a Showtime subscription. Unlike other cable networks, premium services are almost always subscribed to a la carte , meaning that one can, for example, subscribe to HBO without subscribing to Showtime (in Canada, there are slight modifications, as most providers include U.S. superstations – such as WAPA-TV – with their main premium package by default). However, subscribing to an "individual" service automatically includes access to all of that service's available multiplex channels and, in some cases, access to content via video-on-demand (in
1501-764: A result, pay television outlets are most concerned with offering content that can justify the cost of the service, which helps to attract new subscribers, and retain existing subscribers. Many pay television services consist of multiple individual channels, referred to as " multiplex " services (in reference to multiplex cinemas ), where a main flagship channel is accompanied by secondary services with distinct schedules focusing on specific genres and audiences (such as multiplexes focusing more on "classic" films, or family-oriented programming), time shifting , or brand licensing deals (such as channels focusing specifically on Disney films , or content from U.S. pay television brands if they do not specifically run their own network in
1580-407: A retail in-store execution and sales analytics company. On September 18, 2014 Nielsen announced the acquisition of Indicus Analytics Pvt Ltd. On October 8, 2014, Nielsen acquired Affinnova, an international media and marketing research firm. The Affinnova team joins Nielsen's legacy BASES team to form Nielsen's Innovation Practice area. On January 22, 2015, Nielsen acquired Brandbank, specialized in
1659-425: A seasonal package. They are typically the most expensive type of pay services, generally running in the range of $ 35 to $ 50 per month. Some pay services also offer pornographic films ; Cinemax was well known for carrying a late-night block of softcore films and series known as "Max After Dark"—a reputation that led to the network often being nicknamed "Skinemax" by viewers. Cinemax phased out this programming in
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#17327802380511738-540: A short time during the 1980s, and unlike other general-interest pay services accepted outside advertising for broadcast during its sports telecasts), Preview , SelecTV and ON TV in the late 1970s, but those services disappeared as competition from cable television expanded during the 1980s. In Australia , Foxtel , Optus Television and TransACT are the major pay television distributors, all of which provide cable services in some metropolitan areas , with Foxtel providing satellite service for all other areas where cable
1817-401: A specific market). Typically, these services are bundled together with the main channel at no additional charge, and cannot be purchased separately. Depending on local regulations, pay television services generally have more lenient content standards because of their relatively narrower distribution, and not being subject to pressure from sponsors to tone down content. As a result, programming
1896-530: A sports measurement, evaluation and intelligence company based in Stamford, Connecticut . On December 20, 2016, Nielsen announced its agreement with Tribune Media Company to purchase Gracenote , a provider of media and entertainment metadata. On January 5, 2017, The Carlyle Group acquired Claritas from Nielsen. On January 20, 2017, The NPD Group acquired the US assets of Nielsen BookScan . On January 23, 2017,
1975-444: A time when retransmission consent was becoming more common with subscription networks and terrestrial television stations nationwide as a result of a provision in the 1992 Cable Act . However, MTV Networks offered TV Land to subscription providers for free for its five years of operation if providers would agree to add the channel to their expanded basic tiers during the 1996 calendar year. USSB , then one of two services that used
2054-424: A time when the medium was just getting off the ground. Just as with radio, a sampling of homes across the U.S. was used to develop ratings. This information was collected on a device that was attached to a television that recorded what was being watched. In 1953, the company began sending out diaries to a smaller sample of homes ("Nielsen families") within the survey to have them record what they had watched. This data
2133-485: Is Canal+ and its scrambled services, which operated in France from 1984 to the 2011 closedown of analogue television, Spain from 1990 to 2005 and Poland from 1995 to 2001. Some U.S. television stations launched pay services (known simply as "subscription television" services) such as SuperTV , Wometco Home Theater , PRISM (which principally operated as a cable service, only being simultaneously carried over-the-air for
2212-639: Is available to approximately 67,000,000 pay television households in the United States-down from its 2011 peak of 98,000,000 households. The network launched at 10:00 p.m. Eastern on April 29, 1996, as Nick at Nite's TV Land . Following a seven-minute short film introducing the network, the first program aired was a syndicated edit of The Best of The Ed Sullivan Show featuring the Beatles ' American debut along with routines by Joan Rivers , Richard Pryor and Señor Wences . The show led off
2291-707: Is not available. Austar formerly operated as a satellite pay service, until it merged with Foxtel and SelecTV . The major distributors of pay television in New Zealand are Sky Network Television on satellite and Vodafone on cable. In the 2010s, over-the-top subscription video on demand (SVOD) services distributed via internet video emerged as a major competitor to traditional pay television, with services such as Amazon Video , Hulu , and Netflix gaining prominence. Similarly to pay television services, their libraries include acquired content (which can not only include films, but acquired television series as well), and
2370-717: Is typically aired with limited to no edits for time or, where applicable, mature content such as graphic violence , profanity , nudity , and sexual activity . As premium television services are commonly devoid of traditional commercial advertising, breaks between programming typically include promotions for upcoming programs , and interstitial segments (such as behind-the-scenes content, interviews, and other feature segments). Some sports-based pay services, however, may feature some commercial advertising, particularly if they simulcast sporting events that are broadcast by advertiser-supported television networks. In addition, most general interest or movie-based pay services do not adhere to
2449-542: The AC Nielsen Company in August 1923 with the idea of selling engineering performance surveys. It was the first company to offer market research . The company expanded its business in 1932 by creating a retail index that tracked the flow of food and drug purchases. This was the first retail measurement of its kind and for the first time allowed a company to determine its "share" of the market—the origination of
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2528-515: The DirecTV satellite, offered TV Land as a free channel to USSB and DirecTV satellite users, without requiring a subscription, for its first years on air. Shortly after TV Land's debut, MCA filed a lawsuit against Viacom. Because MCA's original agreement with Paramount Pictures to operate USA Network prohibited either partner from operating other pay-television networks outside the joint venture , Viacom had been in breach of contract ever since
2607-593: The General Electric Company and President and Chief Executive Officer of GE Infrastructure, the largest of six GE business units. He served as Nielsen CEO from 2006 to 2014, when he was succeeded by Mitch Barns. Barns joined Nielsen in 1997, and has held various roles in Europe, Asia, and North America leading major parts of the business. On December 3, 2018, David Kenny was named CEO of Nielsen, succeeding Mitch Barns. In September 2023, Karthik Rao
2686-610: The Wimbledon tennis tournament. Specialty pay sports channels also exist—often focusing on international sports considered niche to domestic audiences (such as, in the United States, cricket ), and are typically sold at a higher expense than traditional premium services. Out-of-market sports packages in North America are multi-channel pay services carrying professional or collegiate sporting events which are sold in
2765-563: The business cycle , some broadcasters try to balance them with more stable income from subscriptions. Some providers offer services owned by the same company in a single package. For example, American satellite provider DirecTV offers the Encore channels along with the Starz multiplex (both owned by Lionsgate 's Starz Inc. ) in its "Starz Super Pack"; and The Movie Channel , Flix and SundanceTV (the latter of which continues to be sold in
2844-469: The 1950s to the early 1980s. Such programming continues to air during the daytime hours, while the network's primetime lineup focuses on both recent and contemporary sitcoms originating from the late 1990s. The network held its own annual award show, the TV Land Awards , from 2003 to 2016. In 2001, Craig Media launched a Category 2 pay-television specialty channel called TV Land Canada through
2923-586: The 2010s, citing that it did not align with its current focus on action programming, and that internet porn and the amount of sexual content in other mainstream premium series (such as Game of Thrones ) made a specific block for such content redundant. Specialized channels dedicated to pornographic films also exist, that carry either softcore adult programs (such as Playboy TV ), or more hardcore content (such as The Erotic Network and Hustler TV ). Pay television channels come in different price ranges. Many channels carrying advertising combine this income with
3002-472: The DirecTV package despite Showtime Networks no longer owning Sundance, that channel is now owned by AMC Networks ) along with Showtime in its "Showtime Unlimited" package; Cinemax and its multiplex networks, in turn, are almost always packaged with HBO (both owned by Warner Bros. Discovery ). Though selling premium services that are related by ownership as a package is common, that may not always be
3081-599: The European and North American markets, and educational publications. In 1997, VNU acquired the directory publishing business of ITT Sheraton (ITT World Directories) for $ 2.1 billion; the business was renamed VNU World Directories. VNU acquired Nielsen Media Research, part of the former AC Nielsen Company, in 1999. It was the owner of the Hungarian business magazine Figyelő in the 1990s. In 2000, VNU acquired Miller Freeman, Inc. from United News & Media for
3160-566: The Global Connect division ( NielsenIQ , the former AC Nielsen) to private equity firm Advent International in March 2021. The company was listed on the New York Stock Exchange and used to be a component of the S&;P 500 . Nielsen was founded in 1923 by Arthur C. Nielsen, Sr. , who invented an approach to measuring competitive sales results that made the concept of " market share "
3239-598: The New York Stock Exchange, merged with Nielsen Holdings plc, by way of a cross-border merger under the European Cross-Border Merger Directive, with Nielsen Holdings plc being the surviving company. The merger effectively changed the place of incorporation of Nielsen's publicly traded parent holding company from the Netherlands to England and Wales, with no changes made to the business being conducted by Nielsen prior to
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3318-517: The Nielsen properties with other research and data collection units including BASES, Claritas, HCI and Spectra. VNU also acquired companies that added to its measurement capabilities. Nielsen was a private company from 2006 through 2011. On January 25, 2011, the company listed itself on the New York Stock Exchange and issued an initial public offering (IPO) that raised $ 1.8 billion in the largest private equity-backed U.S. IPO since 2006. Nielsen began
3397-720: The Stagwell Group announced that it acquired Nielsen's Harris brand and the Harris Poll through its Stagwell Media LLC. On February 1, 2017, Nielsen completed its acquisition of Gracenote. On February 23, 2017, Nielsen acquired Rhiza, Inc., a Pittsburgh-based media and consumer analytics software firm. In December 2019, Nielsen music data business was sold to Valence Media (then parent company of Billboard , another former Nielsen business). The transaction includes Nielsen Broadcast Data Systems , Music 360, and Nielsen SoundScan . On March 5, 2021, Nielsen Holdings announced
3476-546: The UK division (VNU Business Publications Ltd) to Incisive Media . In June, Nielsen acquired Telephia, a provider of syndicated consumer research to the telecom and mobile media markets. Nielsen acquired IAG Research which measures viewer engagement with TV commercials. The same year, Nielsen made a strategic investment in NeuroFocus , a California firm applying neuroscience brainwave techniques for consumer research. The firm
3555-431: The United States, Cinemax , HBO , MGM+ , Showtime , and Starz , but such services can also include those devoted to sports , as well as adult entertainment . In contrast to most other multichannel television broadcasters, which depend on advertising and carriage fees as their sources of revenue, the majority of pay television services rely almost solely on monthly subscription fees paid by individual customers. As
3634-445: The advertising tech company Vizu. The acquisition was made so that Nielsen can better analyze the effectiveness of online advertisement. In November, Nielsen acquired SocialGuide, a provider of social TV measurement, analytics and audience engagement solutions. On December 17, 2012, Nielsen disclosed that it would acquire Arbitron , a company primarily involved in radio audience measurement, for $ 1.3 billion. The successful acquisition
3713-737: The aforementioned leniency in content standards, they too can contain content that is more mature than those of other cable channels or television networks . These series also tend to be high-budget and aim for critical success in order to attract subscribers: notable premium series, such as HBO 's Curb Your Enthusiasm , Game of Thrones , Sex and the City , and The Sopranos , and Showtime 's Dexter , Homeland , and Weeds , have achieved critical acclaim and have won various television awards. Some premium channels also broadcast television specials , which most commonly consist of concerts and concert films , documentaries , stand-up comedy , and in
3792-419: The broadcast decrypted for viewing, but usually only entail a one-time payment for a single or time-limited viewing. Programs offered via pay-per-view are most often movies or sporting events, but may also include other events, such as concerts and even softcore adult programs. In the U.S., the initial concept and technology for pay-per-view for broadcast television was first developed in the early 1950s, including
3871-448: The channel to CTVglobemedia (which would later be acquired outright by minority shareholder BCE, Inc. on September 10 of that year to form Bell Media ) following the rebrand. The channel was shuttered on September 1, 2019, after its broadcast license was sold to Wow Unlimited Media . Pay television The term is most synonymous with premium entertainment services focused on films or general entertainment programming such as, in
3950-428: The common top and bottom of the hour scheduling of other cable channels and terrestrial broadcasters. As such, programs often air using either conventional scheduling or have airtimes in five-minute increments (for example, 7:05 a.m. or 4:40 p.m.); since such channels broadcast content without in-program break interruptions, this sometimes leads to extended or abbreviated breaks between programs, depending on when
4029-518: The company bought Paramount in 1994, because it had operated MTV Networks (including Nickelodeon, MTV and VH1 ) since its founding in 1983, and Showtime Networks (owners of Showtime , The Movie Channel and Flix ) since it was founded in 1985. MCA claimed that the intention of TV Land was to compete directly with USA, a claim that turned out to be true. Viacom claimed that the matter had already been settled when Sumner Redstone released Frank Biondi from his contract to let him work at MCA. The suit
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#17327802380514108-684: The company into two separate companies: Nielsen Media Research , which was responsible for TV ratings, and AC Nielsen , which was responsible for consumer shopping trends and box-office data. In 1999, Nielsen Media Research was acquired by the Dutch publishing company VNU (Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen). VNU later acquired AC Nielsen and recombined the two businesses in 2001. In between, VNU sold off its newspaper properties to Wegener and its consumer magazines to Sanoma . The company's publishing arm also owned several publications including The Hollywood Reporter and Billboard magazine. VNU combined
4187-460: The company was known for its two subsidiaries, Nielsen Media Research , which was responsible for TV ratings, and AC Nielsen, which was responsible for consumer shopping trends and box-office data. Nielsen Media Research later evolved into Global Media division and the AC Nielsen later evolved into Global Connect division. The company later decided to retain its Global Media division and divested
4266-564: The completion of sale of Global Connect business (the former AC Nielsen) to private equity firm Advent International. On July 8, 2021, Nielsen acquired TVTY, a TV attribution provider and ad monitoring company based in Paris, France, for an undisclosed amount. Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen ( VNU , literally "United Dutch Publishers", founded 1964) was a Dutch publishing company with products including European consumer magazines, Dutch regional newspapers, business publications in
4345-515: The concept of " market share " Arthur C. Nielsen is credited with coining this business term. In 1936, Arthur C. Nielsen acquired the Audimeter, which measured which radio stations a radio had been tuned to during the day. After tinkering with the device for a few years, the company created a national radio rating service in 1942. The company collected information on which stations radios were tuned to in one thousand homes. Then, this survey data
4424-647: The form of a conventional VOD television service, and in some cases, a companion on-demand streaming service as well). Most pay television providers also offer a selection of premium services (for example, the HBO, Showtime and Starz packages) in one bundle at a greatly reduced price than it would cost to purchase each service separately, as an inducement for subscribers to remain with their service provider or for others to induce subscribers into using their service. Similarly, many television providers offer general interest or movie-based premium channels at no additional charge for
4503-707: The investment consortium. The transaction was completed in October 2022. Nielsen is a global, independent measurement and data company for media business. With a presence in more than 100 countries and services covering more than 90% of the globe's GDP and population, Nielsen provides clients with data about what consumers watch (programming, advertising ) on a global and local basis and how those choices intersect. The company's operations span developing and emerging markets worldwide, in more than 100 countries. According to SEC records, on February 26, 2015, Nielsen N.V., announced that its board of directors unanimously approved
4582-454: The launch of a network's prestige series. However, some other channels, such as sports and adult networks may ask for monthly pricing that may go as high as near $ 50 a month. There are also premium television services which are priced significantly higher than the mini-pay channels, but they compensate for their higher price by carrying little or no advertising and also providing a higher quality program output. As advertising sales are sensitive to
4661-622: The merger. On March 5, 2021, Nielsen Holdings announced the completion of sale of Global Connect business (known as NielsenIQ, the former AC Nielsen) to private equity firm Advent International. This transaction effectively turned Nielsen into a pure-play media audience measurement and analytics firm. In March 2022, Nielsen announced that it had accepted a $ 16 billion offer from a group of private equity investors led by Elliott Investment Management subsidiary Evergreen Coast Capital Corp., and Brookfield Business Partners . The Nielsen board of directors had turned down an initial $ 9 billion offer from
4740-448: The network's demographic. New original series Impastor and The Jim Gaffigan Show were unveiled as the network officially announced the rebranding on June 23, 2015. Completing the shift to edgier, single-camera programming, TV Land announced on July 28 that the upcoming fifth season of the multi-camera sitcom The Soul Man would be its last. Less than two weeks later, on August 10, TV Land's last remaining multi-camera sitcom The Exes
4819-494: The original term of license agreements with a distributor may also be broadcast as "sub-runs", in which a service holds rights to film long after the conclusion of a distribution agreement (under this arrangement, the pay service that originally licensed the rights to a particular film title, or one other than that which had held rights, may hold the broadcast rights through a library content deal). Many general interest premium channels also produce original television series . Due to
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#17327802380514898-597: The past, theatrical plays . Sports programming is also featured on some premium services; HBO was historically known for its broadcasts of boxing , while Showtime and Epix also carry mixed martial arts events. Some general interest premium channels have aired other professional sporting events in the past: HBO for example, carried games from the National Hockey League (NHL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA) in its early years, and from 1975 to 1999 aired
4977-521: The previous program concludes and when the start time of the next program is. The only universal variation to this is prime time , where the main channel in each pay service's suite usually schedules films to start on the hour. Films comprise much of the content seen on most pay television services, particularly those with a general entertainment format and those that focus exclusively on films . Services often obtain rights to films through exclusive agreements with film distributors . Films acquired during
5056-899: The process of digitally collecting, managing and distributing FMCG product and brand image content for retail syndication across in-store, print promotional and e-commerce platforms. On March 4, 2015, Nielsen announced the acquisition of Exelate, a provider of data and technology to facilitate the buying and selling of advertising across programmatic platforms. On May 27, 2015, Nielsen acquired Innerscope Research, which specialized in consumer neuroscience using biometrics , eye tracking and facial coding. Nielsen renamed its combined offering as Nielsen Consumer Neuroscience, and named Carl Marci as Chief Neuroscientist. On March 3, 2016, Nielsen acquired Pointlogic, in marketing decision support systems. On March 10, 2016, Nielsen acquired Mumbai-based mobile usage measurer Informate Mobile Intelligence for an undisclosed amount. On June 21, 2016, Nielsen acquired Repucom,
5135-529: The service for a period of days or weeks; these are typically scheduled to showcase major special event programming, such as the pay cable premiere of a blockbuster feature film, the premiere (either a series or season premiere ) of a widely anticipated or critically acclaimed original series or occasionally, a high-profile special (such as a concert). Subscription services transmitted via analogue terrestrial television have also existed, to varying degrees of success. The most known example of such service in Europe
5214-465: The situation: for example, in the United States, Cinemax and Encore are optionally sold separately from or in a single package with their respective parent networks HBO and Starz, depending on the service provider. The Movie Channel and Flix meanwhile, are usually sold together with Showtime (all three channels are owned by Paramount Global ); though subscribers are required to purchase Showtime in order to receive Flix, The Movie Channel does not have such
5293-462: The social media consulting company NM Incite . NM Incite had operations in 13 global markets, including: US, UK, Germany , Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, China, Japan, India, Brazil, Canada and Korea. In August, Nielsen acquired Marketing Analytics, Inc. In February, Nielsen launched The Demand Institute in collaboration with The Conference Board . The Demand Institute is a non-profit, non-advocacy organization. In July, Nielsen acquired
5372-606: The top 10 for the first time since it began operating, and opened the eyes of the TV industry to the rich vein of golden-oldie TV shows that distributors are mining for an audience of nostalgia buffs and kids who are stumbling across the series for the first time." The network first forayed into original scripted programming in 2010 with the debut of the sitcom Hot in Cleveland (starring established sitcom stars Valerie Bertinelli , Jane Leeves , Wendie Malick and Betty White ), which premiered in June 2010 to 4.75 million viewers,
5451-544: The two halves of the former Nielsen business, and added other research and data collection units including BASES, Claritas, HCI and Spectra. In 2006, the company was acquired by a consortium of six investors for €28.75 per share, a sum of €7.5 billion. In the same year, the group hired David L. Calhoun , formerly of General Electric , as CEO. In 2004, VNU World Directories was sold to Apax Partners and Cinven . VNU sold its business publications division in 2006 for €320m (£210m) to venture capital group 3i , which then sold
5530-510: Was also canceled. Episodes from the Steve Harvey run of Family Feud were aired instead. The network began a programming transition in March 2015, when the new Sutton Foster series Younger was launched without either traditional network branding or advertising. After the series finale of Hot in Cleveland , a new logo was unveiled as part of a larger rebranding that saw TV Land shift its focus to Generation X viewers who grew into
5609-811: Was canceled as its fourth season was still airing, and the final episode aired on September 16. In July 2015, TV Land dropped reruns of The Dukes of Hazzard after the removal of the Confederate battle flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House because the flag is displayed atop the show's car, the General Lee . 2016 saw the debut of the single-camera sitcom Teachers . Since 2017, Viacom has been reorganizing its media businesses around six flagship brands, including Paramount Pictures , BET , Comedy Central , Nickelodeon , Nick Jr. and MTV . Network president Keith Cox
5688-545: Was completed on September 30, 2013. On June 17, 2013, Nielsen announced that Onex Corp (TSX: OCX) had completed the acquisition of Nielsen Expositions for $ 950 million in cash consideration. Nielsen Expositions operated tradeshows in the United States. The company was renamed Emerald Expositions Inc. after the transaction. On February 3, 2014, Nielsen announced the acquisition of Harris Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ:HPOL). This allowed Nielsen to take ownership of The Harris Poll . Later on February 26, 2014, Nielsen acquired Nexium,
5767-654: Was eventually settled when Viacom agreed to sell its 50% stake in USA Networks to MCA (MCA later became Universal Pictures , formerly just a subsidiary, which eventually merged with NBC and, later, Comcast ). In February 1999, according to Nielsen ratings data, TV Land averaged a 1.0 share during primetime, tying ESPN for tenth place among all pay-television networks. Its siblings, MTV and VH1, tied for 17th and 26th place respectively. Columnist John Dempsey reported in Variety : "That February rating put TV Land into
5846-457: Was later fully acquired by Nielsen in 2011 In 2009 and 2010, Nielsen sold its business magazines; its well-known entertainment properties went to the new company e5 Global Media . Nielsen acquired The Cambridge Group, a management consulting firm headquartered in Chicago. The firm researches latent and emerging consumer demand. In June, Nielsen paired with McKinsey & Company to create
5925-488: Was named CEO of Nielsen, succeeding David Kenny who became Executive Chairman. While the Nielsen brand is most often associated with television ratings , those TV rating services comprise approximately one-quarter of the company's business and revenues. After substantial work to simplify the company over the last several years and divestment of NielsenIQ in 2021, Nielsen Holdings aligns its business into media audience measurement and analytics. Arthur C. Nielsen founded
6004-475: Was put together with information from the devices. This combination of data allowed the company to statistically estimate the number of Americans watching TV and the demographic breakdown of viewers. This became an important tool for advertisers and networks. In the 1980s, the company launched a new measurement device known as the " people meter ". The device resembles a remote control with buttons for each individual family member and extras for guests. Viewers push
6083-403: Was reassigned to the newly rebranded Paramount Network (the former Spike), and two series originally slated for TV Land— American Woman and Heathers —were reassigned to the channel. The former was canceled after its first season, while the latter eventually aired in a heavily edited and redacted form. Younger was also supposed to move to Paramount Network for its sixth season, but the move
6162-477: Was reversed before the newest season launched. The series would eventually move to Paramount+ and Hulu for its final season, with later airings on TV Land. On August 20, 2019, two TV Land-branded channels, TV Land Drama and TV Land Sitcoms, were launched on Pluto TV , a free streaming service acquired by Viacom in March 2019. The latter channel was a rebrand of the former Pluto TV Sitcoms channel. TV Land's programming originally focused on television series from
6241-409: Was sold to manufacturers who were interested in the popularity of programs and demographic information about listeners for advertising purposes. This was the birth of audience measurement that would become the most well-known part of Nielsen's business when applied to television. Today, these are commonly referred to as " Nielsen ratings ". The company began measuring television audiences in 1950, at
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