MUMBAI:Nielsen has begun marketing Nielsen SpotScan, its new local radio spot-monitoring service. SpotScan goes opposite to Media Monitors, a service that Clear Channel bought in 2006. Developed over the last few months, SpotScan provides ad-tracking and spending data for the top 30 radio markets, with plans to expand to 40 markets in the next year.In addition to detailed ad-tracking reports at the market and radio station level, SpotScan includes Nielsen Monitor-Plus data including ad spending across all local media segments (radio, newspaper and TV stations), as well as market-share information and month-by-month trends.

Media Monitors currently provides radio data to Nielsen Monitor-Plus, which tracks ad expenditures across 16 media segments.

Catriona McGinn, general manager of BDS, Nielsen`s music airplay-tracking service, is responsible for the operation. Several major market radio stations have already signed on to the service, McGinn said, who declined to name any, say reports.