Univision joins Nielsen ratings

Univision, the largest Spanish-language TV network in the United States, will be included in the influential Nielsen ratings for the first time starting the day after Christmas, the network and the rating service announced this week. The change is another sign of Spanish becoming more mainstream in the United States.

Previously, Univision's ratings had been counted only in an index that measured TV viewing habits in Hispanic households. The change, officials at Univision believe, will make it easier for the network to attract advertisers.

Ray Rodriguez, Univision's CEO, sounded almost giddy in a statement he made in a press release: "Univision will finally be measured alongside its main competitors, the major English-language broadcast networks, and for the first time, advertisers and media buyers will be able to see the audience Univision delivers in the national charts. We're confident that this move will validate Univision's ability to successfully compete against any network in the country and provide us with a powerful tool to attract marketers that had previously been reluctant to advertise in Spanish." Learn more... (Sources: TV Week, Business Wire)