A key industry board has given the OK for Nielsen to incorporate data that streaming services collect into its TV ratings measurement.
The Media Rating Council, an oversight group that applies standards for audience measurement, has approved a plan in which Nielsen will integrate first-party streaming data into the company’s panel-based national TV ratings. The council has also renewed its accreditation for Nielsen’s national panel measurement.
The vote of confidence from the Media Rating Council could open the door for several media companies to begin using the “panel plus big data” measurement for live programming that runs on both linear TV and streaming (which is mostly live sports at the moment). Currently, Amazon is the only Nielsen client using the integrated measurement, for its Thursday Night Football telecasts (that agreement ruffled some feathers in the industry when it began in 2023).
“We’re thrilled and humbled to earn first-party approval from the MRC. It’s a great affirmation of Nielsen’s ability to innovate at the speed of the market, while doing so in a safe and verified way,” Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a statement. “With time-tested methodologies like our accredited persons panel and precise new solutions for the streaming era, we believe Nielsen is right where the industry needs us to be — at the convergence of all the ways people watch content. This will give the industry a true view of linear and streaming viewing like never before.”
The panel plus big data figures for Thursday Night Football over the past five weeks have shown about an 8 percent increase, or just under 1 million viewers, from the panel-only measure. Other Nielsen clients are in discussions with the company to fold in their first-party measurement as well; some, including NBC and Fox, already publicize their own cross-platform viewing totals for big events.
The Media Rating Council approval will also cover any future data integrations from streaming platforms, which could further incentivize other Nielsen clients to opt in.
“We congratulate Nielsen on the renewal of accreditation of its national television panel measurement and on receiving approval to integrate its first-party streaming data into the panel measurement,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the MRC. “This was a significant effort and we appreciate Nielsen’s ongoing commitment to the MRC accreditation process.”
