TV rating firm Nielsen is jumping on the anti-piracy bandwagon with a new service called Digital Media Manager.

Expected to launch in mid-2008, Digital Media Manager will let video content owners monitor and manage distribution of their media content online.

Digital Media Manager will use digital watermarking and fingerprinting to ensure copyright security and compliance.

Nielsen is working with Digimarc to roll out the new service.

TV and movie studios have been shouting themselves hoarse over the rampant piracy of their content on online services such as YouTube.

Like other content owners, Bollywood producers have been badly hit by rampant online and offline piracy.

Within days – and sometimes within hours – of a Bollywood movie’s release, users upload songs and occasionally whole movies to online video sites like YouTube. Latest Bollywood movies are also sold and rented out in Indian grocery stores in the U.S. within days of their release.

In subsequent phases, Nielsen wants to digitally watermark DVDs, movies, music, video games and other content.