A media market, broadcast market, media region or simply market is a region where the population can receive the same (or similar) television and radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including newspapers or Internet content. They can coincide with metropolitan areas, though rural regions with few significant population centers can also be designated as markets. Conversely, very large metropolitan areas can sometimes be subdivided into multiple segments. While it is human nature to try to classify things strictly, these regions overlap, meaning that people residing on the edge of one media market may be able to receive content from other nearby markets as well. They are widely used in ratings, which are compiled in the United States by Nielsen Media Research (television) and Arbitron (radio). A radio station is a sound broadcasting service. ... A metropolitan area is a large population center consisting of a large city and its adjacent zone of influence, or of several neighboring cities or towns and adjoining areas, with one or more large cities serving as its hub or hubs. ... Rating is a means of classifying things in different categories. ... Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is a U.S. firm, headquartered in New York City, and operating primarily from Oldsmar, FL, which measures media audiences, including television, radio and newspapers. ... Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States. ...

Markets are identified by the largest city, which is usually located in the center. However, geography and the fact that some metropolitan areas have large cities separated by some distance can make markets have unusual shapes and result in two, three, or more names being used to identify a single region. In North America, radio markets are generally a bit smaller than their television counterparts, as broadcast power restrictions are stricter for radio than TV, and TV reaches further via cable. AM band and FM band radio ratings are sometimes separated, as are broadcast and cable television. Market researchers also subdivide ratings demographically between different age groups, genders, and ethnic backgrounds; as well as psychographically between income levels and other non-physical factors. This information is used by advertisers to determine how to reach a specific audience. In countries such as the United Kingdom, a government body defines the media markets; in countries such as the United States, media regions are defined by a privately held institution, without government status. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America North America is a continent in the northern hemisphere bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the south by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the... Mediumwave radio transmissions (sometimes called Medium frequency or MF) are those between the frequencies of 300 kHz and 3000 kHz. ... In most of the world, the FM broadcast band, used for broadcasting FM radio stations, goes from 87. ... Terrestrial television (also known as over-the-air, OTA, or broadcast television) is the traditional method of television broadcast signal delivery, by radio waves transmitted through open space. ... Coaxial cable is often used to transmit cable television into the house Cable television or Community Antenna Television (CATV) (often shortened to cable) is a system of providing television, FM radio programming and other services to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted directly to people’s televisions through fixed optical... Research is an active, diligent, and systematic process of inquiry in order to discover, interpret or revise facts, events, behaviours, or theories, or to make practical applications with the help of such facts, laws, or theories. ... A demographic or demographic profile is a term used in marketing and broadcasting, to describe a demographic grouping or a market segment. ... Look up Age on Wiktionary, the free dictionary Age may refer to: The length of time that a person has lived, reckoned from date of birth in most cultures; see also: ageing, for the social, cultural, and economic factors of age and ageing. ... In a variety of different contexts, gender refers to the masculinity or femininity of words, persons, organisms, or characteristics. ... This article or section should be merged with ethnic group Ethnicity is the cultural characteristics that connect a particular group or groups of people to each other. ... In marketing, demographics, opinion research, and social research in general, psychographic variables are any attributes relating to personality, values, attitudes, interests, or lifestyles. ... Income, generally defined, is the money that is received as a result of the normal business activities of an individual or a business. ... Generally speaking, advertising is the promotion of goods, services, companies and ideas, usually by an identified sponsor. ... An audience is a group of people who participate in and experience or encounter a work of art, literature, theatre, music or academics in any medium. ...

United States

Television

A Designated Market Area (DMA) is a group of counties in the United States that are covered by a specific group of television stations. The term was coined by Nielsen Media Research, and they control the trademark on it. There are 210 DMAs in the United States. A television station is a type of broadcast station that broadcasts both audio and video to television receivers in a particular area. ... Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is a U.S. firm, headquartered in New York City, and operating primarily from Oldsmar, FL, which measures media audiences, including television, radio and newspapers. ...

Radio

Arbitron also maintains similar areas for radio stations, each is called an area of dominant influence (ADI). There are 286 ADI's in the United States. Arbitron is a radio audience research company in the United States. ... A radio station is a sound broadcasting service. ...

Canada

Canada also has a similar system, run by the Bureau of Broadcast Measurement (BBM).

External link

• Nielsen's list of DMAs

See also

• marketing