LibGuides: ACRL/EBSS Library Resources for Communication Studies (LRCS): Media Ratings, Data, & Statistics

About

This guide is an overview of ratings, data, and statistics about media outlets. Use it to find ratings information about broadcasting, box office rankings of films, web site analytics, television and radio audiences, advertising expenditures, and other statistics around media.

Current Page Editor: K yung Kim

Suggested Subject Keywords

Please consult the Library of Congress subject headings for more ideas.

Databases

See General Communication Resources to get started.

Best Bets:

ABI/Inform Collection (fee-based) Includes major academic business journals, business magazines, trade and industry publications, and the Wall Street Journal.
Business Source Complete (fee-based) Business database featuring more than 1,900 full text peer-reviewed journals. Included as part of the comprehensive coverage offered by this database are indexing and abstracts for the most important scholarly business journals, dating back as far as 1886 and detailed author profiles for the 40,000 most-cited authors in the database.
comScore (fee-based) comScore collects audience analytics across all platforms of media. Their databases include websites, television and digital broadcasts, movies, and advertising.
Factiva (fee-based) Dow Jones news and business article database that covers thousands of news outlets worldwide in multiple languages. Academic subscriptions are unable to license the full content, but still include articles from websites, daily newspapers, and business publications.
Insider Intelligence (formerly eMarketer) (fee-based)
Media Intelligence Center (fee-based) Provides audited circulation reports, circulation data and publishers' statements for newspapers, consumer magazines, business publications and farm publications from the US, Canada, and other countries. By the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Formerly: Audit Bureau of Circulations.
Simmons Insights (fee-based) Simmons Insights has data on consumers' media habits and other behaviors, psychographics, demographics, and more. It is useful for finding information about a target audience for a PR campaign.
SimplyAnalytics (fee-based) SimplyAnalytics is a web-based mapping, analytics, and data visualization for creating maps, charts, and reports about consumers. It is useful for finding information about a target audience at a local level.
SRDS: Media Planning & Buying (fee-based) The SRDS online planning platform makes it easy for agencies and advertisers to connect with the media brands that fit their objectives. Top U.S. ad agencies use SRDS for their media campaigns, searching among 125,000+ media properties, categorized by media type, market, and geography.
Statista (fee-based) Statistics gathered from web sources including media industry websites.
Vivvix (formerly known as Advertising Insights, Ad$pender) (fee-based) From Kantar Media.
WARC (fee based) WARC, formerly the World Advertising Resource Center, is a resource that contains Case Studies, Event Reports, Advertising Expenditures, Business News and Magazine and Journals focused on advertising and marketing. There are more than 6,000 reports and case studies.

Data and Ranking Sources

Box Office Mojo Worldwide statistics and rankings of box office revenues for films going back to 1980.
The Internet Movie Database: IMDb Look for rankings under Movies, TV to ratings and rankings of film and television programs.
Newspaper Data Book : Encyclopedia of the Newspaper Industry (Editor & Publisher) (98th ed., 2019) Editor & Publisher annual directory of the newspaper industry in the US and Canada. Data includes newspaper circulation, cost, advertising rates, and some contact information for key staff.
Insider Intelligence (formerly eMarketer) (fee-based)
Media Intelligence Center (fee-based) Provides audited circulation reports, circulation data and publishers' statements for newspapers, consumer magazines, business publications and farm publications from the US, Canada, and other countries. By the Alliance for Audited Media (AAM). Formerly: Audit Bureau of Circulations.

Audience Measurement Sources (may not be available to institutional subscribers)

Alliance for Audited Media (fee-based) AAM provides essential cross-media verification, digital consulting and information services for North America’s leading media brands, advertisers, ad agencies and technology platform companies.
comScore (fee-based) comScore collects audience analytics across all platforms of media. Their databases include websites, television and digital broadcasts, movies, and advertising.
Kantar Media Audience Measurement (fee-based) Kantar is a fee based service providing audience measurement for television, radio, print, and digital.
MRI Simmons (formerly known as Simmons Insight) has data on consumers' media habits and other behaviors, psychographics, demographics, and more. It is useful for finding information about a target audience for a PR campaign.
Nielsen (fee-based)
Nielsen Audio Measurement (fee-based) Previously known as Arbitron, ratings of major radio stations by metro area can be viewed for free. All other Nielsen ratings for radio stations requires a subscription.
TVB (Television Bureau of Advertising) From the website: "TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry, including linear and digital platforms. Its members include the U.S. television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters, and associate members."

Journals and Trade Magazines

Advertising Age Advertising Age is a leading magazine for the advertising industry. Subscriptions include access to Datacenter rankings and statistics for advertisers, agencies, and media companies.
Billboard Pro Formerly known as Billboard Biz
Broadcasting & Cable Trade source for the television and cable industry and program syndication ervices. Articles on broadcast, cable, satellite, telcommunication, advertising, multimedia, broadband, and other emerging technologies.
Hollywood Reporter Covers industry news about the personalities, production, companies, and ratings of television and films.
Multichannel News A print and digital publication for the cable television and telecommunications industry. Editorial focus on programming, advertising, marketing, finance, technology, broadband, and government activities.
Variety Premier source for entertainment news. Comprehensive website for the film, television and music industry. Some of the features of Variety are the reviews, “hot topics” and obituaries.

Open Educational Resources (OERs)

Introductory Business Statistics Introductory Business Statistics is designed to meet the scope and sequence requirements of the one-semester statistics course for business, economics, and related majors. Core statistical concepts and skills have been augmented with practical business examples, scenarios, and exercises. The result is a meaningful understanding of the discipline, which will serve students in their business careers and real-world experiences.
Rating the Audience: The Business of Media By Mark Balnaves, Tom O'Regan and Ben Goldsmith. Knowing, measuring and understanding media audiences have become a multi-billion dollar business. But the convention that underpins that business, audience ratings, is in crisis. Rating the Audience is the first book to show why and how audience ratings research became a convention, an agreement, and the first to interrogate the ways that agreement is now under threat.
The Data Journalism Handbook By Liliana Bounegru, Lucy Chambers, and Jonathan Gray, European Journalism Centre, 2012

Industry Websites and Associations

Alliance for Audited Media (fee-based) AAM provides essential cross-media verification, digital consulting and information services for North America’s leading media brands, advertisers, ad agencies and technology platform companies.
International Telecommunication Union Statistics on mobile and telephone technologies and penetration worldwide.
Media Rating Council Accredits audience measurement services that are relied on by buyers and sellers in the advertising industry.
Nielsen Insights Use this website to find facts and free reports about audience engagement, particularly around advertising.
Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) Provides data related to Cable and Alternative Delivery Systems, Radio, Newspaper, National Media, and Social Media. See the "Research" tab.

TV Ratings

Adweek.com | Ratings Ratings of and articles about shows in the current season. For historical ratings, search the AdWeek database.
Broadcasting & Cable - Multichannel News This journal covers trends in broadcasting and cable, congressional actions, licensing, ratings and people of note in the industry.
The Futon Critic Republish Nielsen ratings of primetime TV shows.
Nielsen | Top10 Weekly list of what Americans are watching and playing, including streaming, TV, advertising, and video games.
Variety Premier source for entertainment news. Comprehensive website for the film, television and music industry. Some of the features of Variety are the reviews, “hot topics” and obituaries.