Arbitron and Nielsen Terminate ‘Project Apollo’

Arbitron Inc. (NYSE:ARB) and The Nielsen Company announced today that the two companies have terminated the development of “Project Apollo,” the proposed single-source, national research service. The two companies had been working on the pilot project since early in 2005. The announcement was made by Susan D. Whiting, executive vice president of The Nielsen Company, and by Steve Morris, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Arbitron Inc.

“Despite a promising level of interest, we did not secure sufficient client commitments to make Project Apollo a sustainable venture for our two companies,” Arbitron and Nielsen said in a joint statement.

“We are grateful to the companies, consultants and to the marketing and advertising agency executives of the seven Project Apollo Steering Committee members who helped us explore the cutting edge of media and marketing research,” the statement continued.

Said Steve Morris: “Everyone recognized from the outset what an ambitious effort we were undertaking: harness the best in modern research technology and methodology to see if we could finally fulfill the promise of a single-source media and marketing research service.”

Said Susan Whiting: “We have learned a great deal from ‘Project Apollo,’ and I am confident that this work will enable us to provide even higher levels of quality service to our clients"