Nielsen seems to be trying to move forward with new audience measurement technology which many TV networks say is not yet ready for prime time.
The measurement giant in September abandoned its efforts to integrate Amazon first-party data in its study of the audience for the company’s streaming of ” “. The move would have marked a first step toward using the Nielsen companies’ contributions in producing their widely used national audience chart, and many television executives have denounced the plan.
Nielsen seems to be renewing its efforts. At a meeting held Thursday by the Media Rating Council, Nielsen executives attempted to reintroduce that perspective, according to three people familiar with the discussions. People familiar with the meeting, held via Zoom, were dismayed by Nielsen’s failure to respond to criticisms made weeks ago about the technology. TV networks believe Nielsen is hoping that the MRC, an industry body that grants accreditation for the use of audience measurement, could soon put the concept to a vote of approval.
An MRC spokesperson said the organization “cannot comment on an ongoing assessment” but noted that a review of Nielsen’s use of Amazon audience data around “Thursday Night Football” is “in progress.” Nielsen was unable to provide immediate comment.
The use of new data could plunge the industry into multiple dilemmas. Not only could this give Amazon an advantage in viewer counts, but it would force Nielsen, which has long relied on its own independent reviews, to begin entering into new partnerships with the very organizations it is supposed to scrutinize without favor. Adopting Amazon’s data could potentially also give a nod to live programming over scripted programming, says a person familiar with deliberations on the subject, an outcome that may not please unions of Hollywood who are arguing with media companies over the very question of audience counting. .
In another era, audience data came from a single source outside of the media companies creating TV shows. Today, much of it is private. Gaining insight into audience dynamics on streaming platforms like Netflix, Max, or Peacock isn’t as easy to do as sifting through Nielsen’s numerous audience results. Nielsen calculations form the foundation of much of the media industry’s economics, with advertisers, media buying agencies and talent companies all analyzing data to determine the value of television series, events sports, news programs and advertisements.
The NFL supports the use of Amazon data. Like the networks, the league believes that Nielsen’s technology has become obsolete over time as more viewers turn to new devices and technologies to watch their favorite entertainment programs, and has supported the idea of using audience data from each company.
But the relationship between Nielsen and the networks, long strained, it’s been going bad for a few years. Nielsen’s flaws have been on full display since the coronavirus pandemic, when networks proved that the measurement company’s inability to track certain panelists and their technology during the contagion resulted in significantly underestimating the audience that was likely watching more video, not less, as consumers. were forced to retreat into their homes. Earlier this year, Nielsen admitted to underestimating the viewership of Fox’s broadcast of Super Bowl LVII — which, upon re-examination of the data, was found to have drawn a record crowd for the gridiron classic.
Meanwhile, Amazon and Nielsen have become closer. In August last year, the two agreed to a three-year pact. who calls on Nielsen to measure “Thursday Night Football” and determine how its audience compares to traditional television. The two companies said at the time that the deal marked the first time a streaming service had measured one of its live programs in national television ratings. In addition to the game itself, Nielsen’s assignment required him to review pregame and postgame programming; activity around broadcasts on Amazon’s Twitch gaming platform; and activity on local TV stations in the teams’ national markets, which Amazon controls. The so-called “out-of-home” audience, i.e. people watching content in bars, offices, hotels, etc., also needs to be measured.
Still, networks have tested similar efforts. Their disparagement of the Nielsen-Amazon tie-up comes after spending the past several years trying to get advertisers and Nielsen to agree to new audience metrics based on the data they provide. Paramount Global, NBCUniversal and Warner Bros. Discovery have particularly emphasized the need to find alternative measurement technologies, as Nielsen is moving more slowly than it deems appropriate in trying to count audiences streaming their favorites, rather than watching them over the course of a day normal and time each week via a linear television network.
These companies have tapped measurement technology companies including Comscore, Videoamp and iSpot to provide new data feeds that offer insight into audience size and behavior. The problem? Few of these efforts have been validated by the MRC, although some work from Comscore and iSpot has been reviewed and is under audit.
