TelevisaUnivsion, Nielsen Squabble Over Single Household That Appears to Skew Spanish-TV Ratings (EXCLUSIVE)

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One house in the rural southeastern United States serves as the focus of an escalating dispute between Nielsen and a prominent Spanish-broadcasting network, whose viewership it monitors.

TelevisaUnivision’s executives are furious over an anomaly in Nielsen’s method of calculating viewership for Spanish television, which they claim artificially inflates the number of young male viewers watching Telemundo’s news programs and content.

However, these individuals claim that the lift data is derived from a single household where five Spanish-speaking residents only receive Telemundo’s stations, not TelevisaUnivision’s. This singular household’s activity has been used as a basis for Nielsen’s audience estimates, which could be inaccurate and potentially disadvantageous to TelevisaUnivision in the “upfront” market, where U.S. media companies attempt to sell most of their commercial inventory before the next programming cycle.

Donna Speciale, the U.S. advertising sales and marketing president at TelevisaUnivision, expresses in an interview that it’s inappropriate for them to postpone addressing the current data abnormality. She further notes that their slow response could lead to significant consequences for our business.”

Or, more casually:

“Donna Speciale thinks it’s not right for them to hold off on dealing with this unusual data point in our business, as she pointed out during an interview. She also warned that their delayed action could have serious repercussions for us.

According to Nielsen, we’re actively listening to our clients’ comments and maintaining regular contact with them. Nielsen confidently supports its panel and research methods, and we pay close attention to all feedback received. We are dedicated to further investigating the issue and making any necessary improvements.

Stepping into the realm of television criticism, I must say that the Spanish-speaking sector of our screen world is undeniably sizzling hot, even as more viewers worldwide gravitate towards streaming platforms. This surge in interest can be attributed to the increasing Spanish-speaking demographic within the United States, a group whose viewing habits and preferences significantly influence political outcomes and shape marketing strategies.

In recent years, Speciale has been tirelessly working to secure new advertising commitments from Madison Avenue, focusing particularly on marketers who have traditionally neglected the Spanish media market. This strategic move not only capitalizes on the growing Spanish-speaking audience but also acknowledges the immense potential and influence this demographic holds in shaping consumer behavior and trends.

The divide occurs at a time when Nielsen aims to establish its credibility following a challenging phase. Last week, the measurement titan received approval from the Media Rating Council, a monitoring body within the industry, for a novel “Panel + Big Data” service. This innovation will integrate audience engagements with cable, satellite, and smart TV devices across approximately 45 million households and 75 million devices. Nielsen is vouching for this new product as the foundation for “currency” during discussions between media platforms and advertisers. Additionally, it has been granted approval to leverage first-party data from various media sources in determining its ratings.

Despite this, executives at numerous media firms continue to express caution towards Nielsen. During the COVID-19 pandemic, criticism about Nielsen underestimating audiences led to the withdrawal of accreditation for its national ratings service for several months; it has since been reinstated. For instance, Paramount Global opted not to renew its contract with the measurement company last year, primarily due to costs and the presence of alternative measurement providers capable of addressing the issue of audience migration towards streaming platforms. Paramount has instead turned to VideoAmp, a competitor of Nielsen, and several of its peers have also established partnerships with this firm.

The disagreement between TelevisaUnivsion and Nielsen is surprising, as Speciale had previously supported Nielsen’s endeavors to integrate new data into their system. “I’ve been the one making a big fuss” about embracing this technology, the executive explains.

Towards the beginning of the year, TelevisaUnivision began noticing inconsistencies in their viewership ratings, which were followed by significant increases among young male audiences at Telemundo, particularly for news broadcasts. Upon further investigation, executives discovered that this surge was attributable to a single household located in the southeastern United States – a rural residence with only over-the-air television as an option.

Upon further investigation by us at TelevisaUnivision, executives received promises from Nielsen that they would exclude the specific household from their panel to allow for a thorough analysis of the discrepancies. Over the course of a weekend, it became evident how this household was influencing ratings, as our coverage of the presidential inauguration showed improved ratings compared to others. However, Nielsen later informed us that this household would once again be included in their audience panel.

Speciale stated that they discreetly pointed out an unusual finding in their data to them. They preferred to handle this matter privately and encourage them to investigate further. The concerned party acknowledged there was a problem. They agreed to remove it initially but then re-uploaded it, as Speciale mentioned. However, the concern lies in the timing because they’re not denying the change, but they require more time. Unfortunately, we don’t have that luxury.

Telemundo, which is part of NBCUniversal, declined to comment.

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2025-01-28 19:47