Nielsen Ad Intel

Advertising Data

Through the Kilts Center’s relationship with Nielsen, the center provides academic researchers at the University of ϴ Booth School of Business and around the world access to Nielsen’s US Ad Intel dataset, which starts in 2010.

These data include individual advertising occurrences across the United States (in around 200 Designated Market Areas (DMAs)) for a variety of media types, including national TV, local TV, radio, newspaper, and digital. The dataset includes ad impressions for TV and radio and, most recently, social media advertising data.

Marketing Dataset Overview

Nielsen's Ad Intel Data cover advertising occurrences for a variety of media types across the United States, starting in 2010 and including annual updates. These data can be broken down by Market Code (i.e., ~200 Designated Market Areas (DMAs), which can be matched to DMAs in the Consumer Panel and Retail Scanner datasets).

Specifically, the Ad Intel Dataset includes advertisement occurrences from the following media types:

  • National TV: Network TV, Spanish-Language Network TV, Cable TV, Spanish-Language Cable TV, and Syndicated TV
  • Local TV: Spot TV, Network Clearance Spot TV, and Syndicated Clearance Spot TV
  • Radio: Spot Radio
  • Magazine: National and Local Magazine
  • Newspaper: National Newspaper, National Sunday Supplement, Local Newspaper, Local Sunday Supplement
  • FSI (Free Standing Insert) Coupon
  • Outdoor (e.g., billboards)
  • Internet (information is limited until August 2017, then replaced by new Digital media type data): National Internet, Local Internet
  • Digital (2017 forward): National Digital
  • Social Media (2022 forward): Ads from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, TikTok, and Pinterest.
  • Streaming (August 2022 forward): This data is limited to Amazon Prime Video Thursday Night Football games only.
  • Panel+Big Data (August 2022 forward): supplier-based impressions data from companies like Dish and Comcast. Big Data applies only to National TV data.
  • Cinema: National Cinema, Regional Cinema

The Ad Intel Dataset also includes advertisement impressions and universe estimates for several media types (listed below). Researchers may use these data only to estimate the size of the audience and/or Gross Rating Points (GRP) for an advertisement’s placement and not to estimate the audience ratings for a full broadcast. Researchers interested in audience ratings for a full broadcast have an option to license National and Local program or time period ratings data directly from Nielsen.

  • National TV: Network TV, Spanish-Language Network TV, Cable TV, Spanish-Language Cable TV, and Syndicated TV
  • Local TV: Spot TV, Network Clearance Spot TV, Syndicated Clearance Spot TV, and Local/Regional Cable TV
  • Radio: Network Radio, Spot Radio

Advertising impressions are further broken down by age and gender. For National TV, impressions can be broken down by 50 demographic classifications, called Market Breaks. Categories range from types of beverages a family consumes to household income to presence of computers or internet in the home.

A variety of reference data files are also included, such as:

  • Advertisers
  • Brands
  • Product Categories
  • Creative Descriptions
  • TV Programs
  • Distributors (e.g., TV station)
  • Publishers

Review Subscription Pricing, Process, and Policies

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Processes

Accessing the data first requires a subscription contract between a researcher’s institution and ϴ Booth.

Processes

Access or Sign Up for Datasets

Eligible researchers who have never registered for data from the Kilts Center must create a profile and request access through the .

Researchers already subscribed to data through the Kilts Center may request access to data through the .

If you are the contract administrator for your institution and would like to manage your subscription and contract, gain access here.

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Research in Action

See an archive of business-friendly articles that share out findings using data housed at the Kilts Center for an audience of policymakers, business leaders, and the general public.

Research in Action

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