Not all content is created equal in the eyes of the consumer. Across countries, demographics and content types, consumers have diverse attitudes about paying for content online.

Steve Hasker, Nielsen’s president of Media Product Leadership and Advertiser Solutions, discussed the outlook for media companies in 2010 with a focus on innovation, social networks, and mobile media.

Nielsen’s Adrian Baker recently spoke at the Russia & CEE Customer Loyalty Summit where he discussed the role of loyalty programs and how to use them to build stronger relationships with customers.

Charting recent consumer activity, data suggests that the start of the holiday shopping season was not as merry as last as shopping trips were off 3.4% when compared with the same 4 week period last year. Many discretionary categories which typically rely on holiday gifting, such as mens and women’s fragrances and ethnic health and beauty aids are in for another tough year.

While many consumers cut back their spending on entertaining outside of the home in 2009, that didn’t necessarily translate to increases inside the home.

U.S. sports television had a banner year in 2009. Advances in satellite television, high-definition technology and the Internet provided fans with rich, 24/7 access to their favorite teams. Picking winners for 2010? Bet on globalization.

Half of all U.S. households own a video game console or handheld system—and despite the stereotypes about teenage males, gamers are not monolithic. While gamers spend most on new games, game rentals provide an extra conduit to spark sales.

Asian Americans are significantly more likely to bank online compare to non-Asian households, with 75.3 percent banking online compared to 67.4 percent of non-Asians.

A North American snapshot of Nielsen’s Global Economic Current finds the U.S. and Canada with improving consumer confidence, but still hampered by timid spending.

The overall advertising environment in 2009 was fairly gloomy with slashed budgets and revised strategies to address the new reality. However, that didn’t stop the industry from evolving, and the lessons learned will likely pay-off in the year ahead.