Nielsen VideoScan is a home video marketing research company formed as a partnership formed between Verenigde Nederlandse Uitgeverijen's (VNU) VideoScan and ACNielsen.
Both companies are now owned by The Nielsen Company. Nielsen VideoScan provides detailed
point-of-sale
The point of sale (POS) or point of purchase (POP) is the time and place at which a retail transaction is completed. At the point of sale, the merchant calculates the amount owed by the customer, indicates that amount, may prepare an invoic ...
data regarding sales of
VHS videotape
Videotape is magnetic tape used for storing video and usually sound in addition. Information stored can be in the form of either an analog or digital signal. Videotape is used in both video tape recorders (VTRs) and, more commonly, videocasse ...
cassettes,
DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
s,
HD DVD
HD DVD (short for High Definition Digital Versatile Disc) is an obsolete high-density optical disc format for storing data and playback of high-definition video. Supported principally by Toshiba, HD DVD was envisioned to be the successor to the ...
s, and
Blu-ray Discs. The data is collected from VHS and DVD distribution outlets, such as retail stores, in the United States and Canada and then made available to clients in customized report form through the VideoScan website.
Clients may purchase data either through on-going subscriptions, or on an
ad hoc
Ad hoc is a Latin phrase meaning literally 'to this'. In English, it typically signifies a solution for a specific purpose, problem, or task rather than a generalized solution adaptable to collateral instances. (Compare with '' a priori''.)
C ...
basis. Additionally, Nielsen VideoScan frequently provides sales rankings of video titles (although not specific sales numbers) to entertainment and mainstream news media.
A similar service for music
CD and cassette sales data is provided by
Nielsen SoundScan.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nielsen Videoscan
Distribution (marketing)
Market research organizations