MUMBAI: Nielsen Media Research and US broadcaster NBC Universal have signed a seven-year contract for audience measurement services.

The deal covers all NBC Universal's television businesses. This includes the NBC Television Network, CNBC and MSNBC, USA Network, and SCI FI Channel, the 13 NBC-owned-and-operated television stations, and the 11 Telemundo television stations. NBC and Nielsen claim that this is the largest, most comprehensive contract of its kind in the history of media research.

On 20 February 2003, Nielsen and NBC had announced the signing of a letter of intent to enter into contract discussions for all of NBC's (now NBC Universal) television businesses.

NBC Universal has agreed to support the largest-ever expansion of Nielsen's National People Meter Sample. When the agreement was first announced last year, the National People Meter Sample consisted of approximately 5,000 households.

The sample has grown to more than 6,000 households since then, and when all elements of the expansion plan are complete, the effective size of the National People Meter Sample will be nearly 10,000 homes.