Data would help stations sell ads to candidates

Comscore said Thursday it has launched a new product that provides TV viewing and other audience data broken down by Congressional district.

Comscore Congressional District Ratings are designed to give local TV stations the ability to drive higher ad revenue from political advertisers, the company said. They can help stations and clients understand audience demographics, voting patterns and TV consumption habits within each district.

“Having detailed TV ratings information can be highly effective in reaching and influencing voting audiences, particularly in the dozens of highly contested battleground districts where the margin for error is razor thin,” said Steve Walsh, executive VP, commercial, at Comscore. “We’re thrilled to be introducing a solution that meets a critical need in the political advertising arena.”

This year, several station groups have told investors they expect political spending to reach record levels. BIA Advisory Services this week raised its estimate for how much would be spent by candidates and issue advertisers on local over-the-air television by $171 million to $3.3 billion.

Comscore said its Congressional District Ratings are built from the ZIP code level up, leveraging TV measurement data from 30 million households.