ErinMedia Cuts Staff, Renews Demand for Fair and Open Competition in the U.S. Ratings Industry.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. -- ErinMedia, LLC announced today that it has laid off a majority of its employees, in an effort to reduce costs while continuing its battle for fair and open competition in the U.S. television ratings industry. The company had pioneered and promoted the patented Inverse Demographic Matrix (IDM), developed during the early part of the decade, as the cost-effective, census-based alternative to Nielsen Media Research's sample based methodologies. Nielsen controls a 100% monopoly over the one billion dollar annual U.S. television audience measurement market, which provides both national and local ratings.

Earlier this month, it was announced that Boston-based Spark Capital was seeking to build a consortium that would have provided vital, broad strategic partner support and up to $25 million in capital to erinMedia. However, in a move that chilled the Spark Capital fund-raising efforts, the Nielsen Company announced on February 12th that it would be launching a new division, DigitalPlus, which would focus on generating ratings from digital set top boxes. Following the announcement, Spark Capital notified erinMedia late last week that the $25 million funding effort, as proposed, would not be favorably concluded.

After March 1, erinMedia will operate out of St. Petersburg, Florida, and will primarily focus on the licensing of its six recently secured patents to research firms interested in analyzing digital set top box data. The advanced hardware and software required to generate second by second demographic overnight ratings will remain operational. ErinMedia will also continue pursuing its antitrust claims against Nielsen Media Research. In June of 2005, erinMedia filed a landmark antitrust suit against the ratings monopoly. The suit is still pending in federal court; an early 2008 trial date has been set.

Among numerous claims, the suit cites Nielsen's use of long-term, staggered contracts as a means to insure that no competitor can secure a foothold in the TV ratings industry. The landmark case marked the first antitrust action against Nielsen since a 1963 Consent Order by the FTC, which cited A. C. Nielsen for various antitrust violations dating back to the 1950's and early 1960's. A copy of the 1963 Consent order, as well as key pleadings from the antitrust suit, can be found at the erinMedia-sponsored web site, www.WeShouldALLCount.com.