Indiantelevision.com Team

(28 February 2008 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: The Nielsen Company today announced the formation of a national Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council (HLAC), an independent advisory group established to help inform and enhance the company's efforts to recruit, measure and accurately report on Hispanic television households in the US.

The first meeting of the HLAC is scheduled for 4 March 2008 in New York.

"Nielsen is committed to pursuing outreach efforts that are as diverse as the communities we serve in order to ensure that every viewing choice counts in the television ratings system," said Nielsen SVP and MD of national television client services Catherine Herkovic. "By providing invaluable third-party insight and expertise on the Hispanic community, the Hispanic/Latino Advisory Council will have an important role in helping us successfully achieve these goals."

"The U.S. Hispanic population has grown 19.4 per cent in the last five years, and by 2050 it is estimated that one in every four people in the US will be of Hispanic descent," said Ernest Bromley, President and CEO of Bromley Communications and a member of Nielsen's HLAC.

"Nielsen should be commended for establishing this Council, which will be an important forum for representatives of the Hispanic community to share their thoughts on the issues that are most important to our businesses and our communities."

The HLAC is comprised of industry, community and business leaders drawn from across the US. They include Jenny Alonzo, EVP of marketing/brand, Mio.TV; Dr Juan Andrade, president and executive director of the United States Hispanic Leadership Institute; Dr David Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and director of the Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture at the School of Medicine, UCLA; Ernest W Bromley, chairman and CEO, Bromley Communications, among others.

According to Nielsen, Hispanics remain the fastest-growing national segment of the population, with television households increasing by 4.4 per cent in 2007 vs the previous year.