Measurement Moves: Nielsen’s Big Data MRC Seal; Friedman Joins Comscore
Nielsen, which has dominated TV measurement since it used paper diaries to determine what people were watching, on Wednesday said the Media Rating Council accredited Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel measurement. The methodology combines the viewing information from Nielsen’s panel of 42,000 homes with set-top box and smart TV data from 45 million households.
For Nielsen, being able to use big data was a key to being able to transition to the new TV landscape, in which a big chunk of viewing – and ad revenues – are generated by streaming. The industry has long questioned the accuracy of Nielsen’s 42,000 home sample size and whether it was large enough to make valid audience estimates.
Amazon retained Nielsen to measure viewing for Thursday Night Football and wanted Nielsen to incorporate its streaming data in order to capture more viewers.
“MRC has completed and evaluated rigorous audits of Nielsen’s National Service and its new components, including first party streaming (thus far consisting of select NFL games) and the integration of big data,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the MRC in a statement.
“We have now approved the integration of big data so this combined methodology can be considered MRC accredited; we appreciate Nielsen’s inclusion of this in the MRC accreditation process,” Ivie said, adding that “this effort marks the first time MRC has accredited a hybrid panel/big-data product inclusive of persons level estimates.”
During the pandemic, Nielsen lost accreditation for its national and local measurement products. Nielsen also faced a number of newer rivals using big data from millions of set-tops and smart TVs.
Despite the challenges, during last year’s upfront, it appeared that Nielsen was able to maintain its dominant position in the measurement business, providing the currencies media companies use for selling advertising. Getting the seal of approval from the MRC – first for its traditional measurement systems, and now for Big Data + Panel – could be the icing on the cake.
Nielsen’s big data comes from providers including Comcast, DirecTV, Dish Network, Roku and Vizio.
"The accreditation of Nielsen's Big Data + Panel is a landmark moment for TV ratings, as it will forever change audience measurement," said Karthik Rao, Nielsen CEO. "No one else pairs a high quality, representative panel with a data set this large, pulling from smart TVs and set top boxes in more than 45 million homes. I believe Big Data + Panel gives the industry the most accurate measurement in the history of TV. We're grateful to our clients for helping us innovate once again."
“The NFL continues to support Nielsen's efforts to modernize measurement so we can all benefit from accurate insights in an increasingly fragmented media marketplace,” added Paul Ballew, chief data & analytics officer of the NFL. “The accreditation of their Big Data solution is a significant step in the journey and we commend Nielsen for their efforts.”
The necessity of using Nielsen data as ad-sales currency is currently being challenged by Paramount Global, which let its contract with Nielsen lapse last year. Paramount is using audience estimates from VideoAmp to guarantee ad deals and let clients know the sizes of the audiences their commercials are reaching.
Measuring broad audience may not be as important as it used to be to advertisers. They are more interested in media’s ability to reach more specific target audiences and it measuring how those audiences responded after being exposed to advertising, be it web site visits, store traffic or actual sales.
Nielsen said it has expanded its new ratings system – Nielsen One – to include outcome measurement, as well as advanced audiences.
Comscore’s Friedman Era
Meanwhile, over at Comscore, one of Nielsen’s rivals in the measurement business, named Frank Friedman as chief data and analytics officer and head of measurement. Friedman last year left E.W. Scripps Co., which used Comscore to measure audiences for its local TV stations.
Comscore said that bringing in Friedman will mark a new era of measurement at the company with Friedman being responsible for data governance, currency adoption and developing tailored measurement in an industry where one size increasingly does not fit all.
Frank Friedman
“Frank has consistently been at the forefront of challenging convention and implementing disciplined strategies to drive change, and we are excited to bring his perspective to our organization during this stage of our transformation,” said Jon Carpenter, CEO at Comscore.
At Scripps, Friedman was senior VP for data, research and analytics. Before joining Scripps, he held a number of posts during his career, including president, local investment, at Publicis Media; exec VP, director of local investment at Zenith; and media manager at Circuit City.
“I’ve been a cheerleader for change from every side of the ecosystem to help solve the industry’s toughest challenges. In previous roles, I leveraged the power of data to disrupt and drive growth, now in joining Comscore, I’m thrilled to shape the next era of what is possible in omnichannel measurement at such a pivotal moment for the ecosystem,” said Frank Friedman, Comscore chief data and analytics officer and head of measurement.
Before signing up Friedman, Comscore appointed digital and programmatic expert Jackelyn Keller as Comscore’s chief marketing officer.