Media Week: Nielsen's DigitalPlus Could Trigger Lawsuit

The Nielsen Company's plans to launch Nielsen DigitalPlus, a service that will mine TV-viewing data from digital set-top boxes, could trigger a new lawsuit from would-be TV ratings competitor erinMedia. The timing of Nielsen's announcement, on Monday, comes just days before erinMedia is set to close Friday on a $25 million investment from Spark Capital.

Frank Maggio, the founder of erinMedia, now believes that deal, and his ability to form a coalition of support from several companies in the media and advertising industry, is in jeopardy. “[Nielsen’s announcement] was designed to interfere with my ability to close a $25 million funding round with investors. They’re trying to squash our ability to move forward at a very critical time,” Maggio said.  [ MORE ]