A
media market,
broadcast market,
media region,
designated market area (DMA),
television market area, or simply
market is a region where the
population can receive the same (or similar)
television and
radio station offerings, and may also include other types of media including
newspapers and
Internet content. They can coincide or overlap with 1 or more
metropolitan areas, though rural regions with few significant population centers can also be designated as markets. Conversely, very large metropolitan areas can sometimes be subdivided into multiple segments. Market regions may overlap, meaning that people residing on the edge of one media market may be able to receive content from other nearby markets. They are widely used in
audience measurements, which are compiled in the
United States by
Nielsen Media Research. Nielsen measures both television and radio audiences since its acquisition of
Arbitron, which was completed in September 2013.