Nielson DMA (Designated Market Area) Rankings

For purposes of the Audio Description Project and its visitors, we care about the Nielsen DMA Ranking because the FCC initially required all TV stations in the TOP 60 markets to carry and pass through audio description signals for shows which have description.  In 2020 this number (60) was ordered to be increased by 10 each year until we reach 100.  Here is the specific wording (the bolding is ours) of the FORMER requirement from the FCC's website under Title 47 / Chapter I / Subchapter C / Part 79 / Subpart A / §79.3:

• Beginning July 1, 2015, commercial television broadcast stations that are affiliated with one of the top four commercial television broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC), and that are licensed to a community located in the top 60 DMAs, as determined by The Nielsen Company as of January 1, 2015, must provide 50 hours of video description per calendar quarter, either during prime time or on children's programming, and, beginning July 1, 2018, 37.5 additional hours of video description per calendar quarter between 6 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. local time, on each programming stream on which they carry one of the top four commercial television broadcast networks. If a station in one of these markets becomes affiliated with one of these networks after July 1, 2015, it must begin compliance with these requirements no later than three months after the affiliation agreement is finalized.  [Additional wording addresses Cable and Satellite providers as well as non-broadcast networks.]

If you want to know where your area lies today (which will affect future rulings), here is a link to the Current DMAs. (Page last updated July 1, 2024)