What is a DMA?
DMA® is a registered trademark of Nielsen Media Research, Inc. and stands for “Designated Marketing Area.” A DMA® is a media region that is usually associated with a metropolitan area, potentially containing multiple cities. The clusters are specific regions within a state that are based on Nielsen rating standards. For example, “SF Bay Area” is a DMA that encompasses San Francisco and the cities around the San Francisco Bay, including those in the Silicon Valley.
DMA stands for designated market area and is a defined geographic area of the media market. A media market, broadcast market, media region, designated market area, DMA 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 with 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 ratings, which are compiled in the United States by Nielsen Media Research (television) and Arbitron (radio). Markets are identified by the largest city, which is usually located in the center. However, geography and th
