Viacom to Nielsen: why the lower Nick ratings?(NEWS & ANALYSIS)(Brief article)

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman said the media company is working with the Nielsen Co. to investigate a sudden mid-September drop in Nickelodeon's ratings that Dauman called "inexplicable" and an "anomaly."

Speaking on Viacom's fourth-quarter earnings call with analysts, Dauman says the double-digit drop in Nick's ratings just as toymakers and other marketers are ramping up for the holiday season helped keep the company's ad revenue under its double-digit growth targets.

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"This mid-September, we have experienced an inexplicable drop in Nickelodeon's ratings, which are historically very predictable," he said. "We have had …