How does DIRECTV determine in which local market a customer resides?
Federal legislation and FCC guidelines require that satellite providers, DIRECTV included, use information provided by Nielsen Media Research to determine in which local market a customer resides. Nielsen determines the market boundaries based on surveys that evaluate which channels the majority of viewers in an individual county are watching. Nielsen can only adjust boundaries if the documented viewing patterns as a whole change. Neither DIRECTV nor Nielsen can arbitrarily change the definitions of these designated market areas (DMAs) nor can they make exceptions to the rules for individual customers.
