MARKETING VOX — Sep 26 — The Interactive Advertising Bureau is pressuring the third-party metrics firms to improve the accuracy of traffic data reports. Major websites such as MSNBC.com claim the traffic data it collects varies by as much as 30% from the data reported by metric firms. Several top publishers are reporting that the gap is widening between internal traffic data and Nielsen//NetRatings and comScore Media Metrix data. These complaints are intensifying just as both firms prepare to undergo long-awaited Media Rating Council-led audits. Some favor a combination of third-party and self-reporting from sites, with which Nielsen is already experimenting.
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Mark Brooks: In 2003 I compared FriendFinder September 2003 uniques as reported by comScore and Nielsen//NetRatings. They were nearly an order of magnitude apart. The numbers and panel sizes have improved very significantly. Hopefully Nielsen's parity checking system will help. So, which internet dating sites will step up to the mark and share their internal numbers first? It would be great to report more accurate industry numbers. Fyi, I list Nielsen//Netratings, comScore Mediamatrix and Hitwise online personals site rankings in the left bar each month (by special courtesy).