As part of the Nielsen CGA joint venture, New York based-Nielsen and CGA Strategy, U.K., announced that Brand Index, a statistically robust, fully projected on-premise measurement for beverage alcohol clients, will be rolling out in two phases this year.

The Nielsen CGA joint venture aims to create a new industry standard by giving brand owners in the United States the same comprehensive measurement and analytic capabilities used by Europe’s drink producers and retailers, the company says.

The introduction of the Brand Index follows 18 months of investment, a primary field- and telephone-research program and the application of decades of on-premise market measurement experience to establish the ideal sample outlet, they add.

Jon Collins, president of Nielsen CGA, said in a statement: “We are delighted to bring Brand Index to the U.S. in response to the demands of our global drinks clients.  Now, as in Europe, our U.S. partners will gain new levels of insight into the valuable and influential on premise market. Understanding category and competitor performance across volume, value, pricing, distribution and velocity will uncover opportunities to grow volume and profits.”

Brand Index utilizes the statistical standards of Nielsen services, CGA's measurement science teams, a comprehensive coding framework that has been refined over decades and the unique foundation provided by TDLinx, and Nielsen's continuously updated on-premise universe database, the company says.

Brand Index will roll out in two phases through 2016. Phase one, which is available now, includes data on the total U.S. on-premise, with total drinking (bar and nightclub) and total eating (fine and casual dining), and measures across nine census regions and six key markets (New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston, Dallas and Denver), the company says. Phase two will incorporate additional markets and categories, provide more granularity of reporting and allow client customization of geographies and channels, it adds.