Nielsen Media Research and I/PRO join forces to measure the Internet; New alliance will promote industry standards for Web measurement

Business Wire, Sept 5, 1995

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Sept. 5, 1995--Nielsen Media Research, the premier television audience information service, and Internet Profiles Corp. (I/PRO), the leading provider of services for World Wide Web site usage, have formed a strategic alliance to provide a broad range of measurement and evaluation services for the Internet.

Under the terms of the agreement, Nielsen and I/PRO will jointly market and brand I/PRO's two highly successful World Wide Web services -- the I/COUNT Web measurement system, and the I/AUDIT Web site auditing service. These services will be renamed Nielsen I/PRO I/COUNT and Nielsen I/PRO I/AUDIT. The companies also plan to jointly develop new Internet measurement products and services.

"Nielsen Media is the best possible partner for I/PRO," said Ariel Poler, president of I/PRO. "It brings a level of experience in media research that no other company in the world can match. Most importantly, the combination of the two companies' areas of expertise will be a real plus for the Internet community. Advertisers, media buyers, Web developers and ultimately end users will benefit as the Internet becomes the most measurable of all media."

John A. Dimling, president and chief operating officer of Nielsen Media Research, said: "After evaluating customers and their needs, it was clear to us that I/PRO had developed a world-class service and would be an ideal partner. We were impressed by the talent of the I/PRO team as well as its stellar client list. We fully expect that our joint offerings will set the standard for Internet measurement and evaluation."

I/COUNT, the first commercially available Web measurement system, is an open system accessible from all Web browsers. The service enables Web site owners to monitor aspects of site usage such as total number of visits, sections read within each site, and the geographic and organization origin of visitors. I/AUDIT is the Web's first independent auditing and verification service. Customers receive monthly or quarterly reports detailing Web audience usage and characteristics. The reports, similar to those produced in the print and broadcast media, are useful to Web advertisers, media buyers and advertising agencies.

I/COUNT customers include CMP Publications Inc.'s TechWeb, Chrysler Corp., Individual Inc., and Microsoft Corp. I/AUDIT customers include Netscape Communications Corp., Yahoo! Corp., Ziff-Davis Publishing and others.

Funding from D&B Equity Investment Fund

I/PRO has completed its second round of funding through a significant equity investment by the Dun & Bradstreet equity investment fund, which was recently formed between D&B Enterprises and Trident Capital. As part of the agreement announced today, Nielsen Media will assume an equity interest in I/PRO. Additional funding was received from Sutter Hill Ventures, which also participated in I/PRO's first round of funding. Other significant investors include Enterprise Integration Technologies, which was recently acquired by VeriFone Inc.

Internet Partnerships

David Harkness, senior vice president and head of Internet and Web site activities for Nielsen, said: "Working with I/PRO, our customers, and industry organizations such as the ARF (Advertising Research Foundation), the MPA (Magazine Publishers Association), and the CASIE (Coalition for Advertiser Supported Information and Entertainment), we expect to achieve industry standards that will benefit all commercial users of the Internet."

Earlier this year, Nielsen linked up with ASI Market Research and Yankelovich Partners to form ANYwhere Online, a partnership to develop a wide range of qualitative research services for online media.

In association with CommerceNet, Nielsen has also begun the first independent Internet demographic survey designed to be the most comprehensive analysis to date of the Internet's users and applications. The study is expected to be completed by late September. CommerceNet is a consortium of more than 130 major corporations involved in Internet activity.

In addition to I/COUNT and I/AUDIT, I/PRO offers the I/CODE Universal Registration System. This system facilitates an efficient exchange of information between content providers and end users. With an I/CODE, end users are able to access content at multiple sites without having to fill out multiple registration forms, and content providers are able to collect demographic information without compromising the privacy of end users. The system creates a win-win for both publishers and end users and aims to be the universally accepted registration/identification system for the Internet.

Who We Are

I/PRO is the leading provider of services for independent measurement and analysis of Web site usage. The I/PRO System enables organizations that own or manage Web sites to understand how and by whom their sites are being used. Moreover, advertisers and media buyers can use the I/PRO System to determine the optimal sites for delivering their messages. The I/PRO System is compatible with World Wide Web standards and respects Internet culture and end-user privacy. I/PRO is a member of the CommerceNet consortium.