Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel Technology Wins Accreditation Ahead of TV Upfront

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One of Nielsen’s latest audience-measuring tools has received validation from the Media Rating Council, opening up a fresh opportunity for advertisers in an era where Nielsen, the media measurement titan, is contending with challenges posed by emerging competitors and rival companies.

Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel national audience measurement tech, combining smart-TV viewing data along with consumer panel information, has been approved by the MRC, a U.S. industry-standard evaluation body for all media measurements. This makes Nielsen the first to receive accreditation for this technology. The novel data source stems from audience engagements with cable, satellite boxes, and smart TVs in approximately 45 million households and 75 million devices.

Nielsen announced its intention to support the adoption of the new measurement system in the upcoming “upfront” market, where TV networks and streaming services traditionally sell a significant portion of their advertising space in advance.

In a statement, Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao hailed the accreditation of Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel as a significant milestone for TV ratings. He emphasized that this development will fundamentally transform audience measurement. Notably, no other service combines a high-quality, representative panel with such an extensive dataset, derived from smart TVs and set-top boxes in over 45 million households. Karthik expressed his belief that Big Data + Panel offers the most precise measurement ever seen in television history. He also thanked Nielsen’s clients for their continued support and collaboration in driving innovation.

After experiencing several difficulties in 2021, including months without support for its national ratings service due to allegations of underreporting audiences during the coronavirus pandemic, Nielsen has recently secured approval. This latest win concerns the utilization of first-hand live streaming data from media firms that Nielsen measures viewership for. Notably, this decision was supported by both Amazon and the National Football League, who are partners in the “Thursday Night Football” streaming-exclusive sports broadcast.

As a movie lover keeping up with the latest technology trends, I’d say: “Just like how NFL backs Nielsen’s modernization in audience measurement, I too appreciate such advancements. It’s crucial to have accurate insights in today’s diversified media landscape. I applaud Nielsen for getting their Big Data solution accredited; it’s a significant leap forward on their journey. Kudos to them for their hard work!

In recent months, Nielsen has faced increased scrutiny as major media companies like Paramount Global, Warner Bros. Discovery, and NBCUniversal have started exploring partnerships with emerging measurement services such as VideoAmp, Comscore, and iSpot. These firms have garnered attention in the industry over the past few years, working closely with TV networks and large advertising agencies responsible for purchasing commercial airtime on behalf of big advertisers. Paramount, for instance, announced in September that it would no longer use Nielsen’s data following a disagreement over pricing for contract renewal. CBS has instead opted to work with VideoAmp for audience insights.

It seems that the latest MRC decision indicates a step forward in adopting some of the changes that television networks have been advocating for quite some time. More and more people are calling for alternative measurement methods to track audiences who prefer streaming their favorite shows, rather than tuning in at specific days and times each week via traditional linear TV networks.

George Ivie, MRC’s CEO, stated that MRC has thoroughly inspected and assessed Nielsen’s National Service and its new features, such as first-party streaming (presently limited to select NFL games) and the incorporation of big data. He added that we have given our approval for the use of big data, making this combined approach now eligible for MRC accreditation. We commend Nielsen for including this in the MRC accreditation process.

According to Nielsen’s perspective, this fresh technology could serve a purpose greater than just determining ad placement locations. By analyzing audience reactions, businesses may also decide on content creation, licensing, or even carriage fees in distribution agreements. This innovative measurement tool can benefit the media sector beyond advertising planning and purchasing, as it can aid in making informed decisions about content programming, licensing, and TV distribution deal carriage fees as well.

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2025-01-22 20:48