Beijing-August 6, 2016 –
Global information and measurement company Nielsen today announced the launch of “Weibo-Nielsen Sports Popularity Ranking”, in collaboration with Sina Weibo, one of China’s most popular social media platforms. By using big data from Sina Weibo, this ranking service can provide real time sports-related information to consumers and brand owners which includes valuable information such as sports events, leagues, celebrities and sponsors.
This co-developed popularity ranking draws on the expertise of both companies. Leveraging big data and comprehensive sports-related information from Sina Weibo, combined with Nielsen’s century-long survey methodology, professional analytical skills and data processing ability, this ranking will become the barometer of the sports industry.
The rankings will be released and updated on Sina Weibo on a daily basis. The popularity of sports events, celebrities, teams/clubs and sports media Weibo accounts will be measured through reputation, discussions, public images and commercial activities. What’s more, this ranking is interactive, as viewers can give a thumbs ups to their favorite celebrities or clubs.
“Due to rising wealth and consumption, Chinese consumers are paying more attention to health and entertainment. This has boosted the rapid development of a domestic sports industry,”” said Li Xin, vice-president of Nielsen China. “We hope this ranking that we co-developed with Sina Weibo can serve as a bridge, connecting sports events and celebrities with ordinary sports fans and enthusiasts, promote fitness awareness among common people and provide insights for the sports industry.”
“We are to collaborate with Nielsen on this ranking. By leveraging data from Weibo and the professional data analytical skills of Nielsen, this popularity ranking can evaluate athletes and sports teams from all aspects, which has never been done before. This ranking enables consumers to see the ranking of their favorite athletes and teams, and also allows companies and brand owners to learn about the commercial value of athletes,” said Dong Wenjun, deputy general manager of Sina Weibo. “The launch of the ranking is just a beginning, more cooperation projects are yet to come. We believe that our cooperation can increase both sides’ impact in the sports industry.”
Sina Weibo will release the first set of athlete rankings in early August. The ranking will be updated on a daily basis, providing the latest information of athletes’ popularity for sports fans.
ABOUT NIELSEN
Nielsen N.V. (NYSE: NLSN) is a global performance management company that provides a comprehensive understanding of what consumers Watch and Buy. Nielsen’s Watch segment provides media and advertising clients with Total Audience measurement services across all devices where content—video, audio and text—is consumed. The Buy segment offers consumer packaged goods manufacturers and retailers the industry’s only global view of retail performance measurement. By integrating information from its Watch and Buy segments and other data sources, Nielsen provides its clients with both world-class measurement as well as analytics that help improve performance. Nielsen, an S&P 500 company, has operations in over 100 countries that cover more than 90% of the world’s population. For more information, visit www.nielsen.com.