The Media Rating Council has renewed its accreditation of Nielsen’s national panel ratings measurement and approved the integration of its first-party live streaming data.
The firm noted that the vote of confidence from the MRC makes it the “first accredited live-streaming solution with persons-level granularity” and “bolsters all of streaming measurement moving forward.”
“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 MRC’s renewal and approval comes as Nielsen has dominated media measurement for the better part of a century. Advertisers largely depend on its data, which includes the Streaming Top 10 and The Gauge, in order to help determine their spending on commercials as audiences shift from linear TV to streaming.
But TV networks have complained that the firm is not measuring audiences as well as it should amid the transition from linear to streaming. In 2021, the MRC found that the firm undercounted viewers during the COVID-19 pandemic, which temporarily resulted in a suspension of their accreditation.
Paramount Global, which is in the midst of a contract pricing dispute with Nielsen, has switched advertisers’ campaigns to VideoAmp as the two sides continue to negotiate. But they’ve suggested that they’re also prepared to make that switch permanent, which some experts have told TheWrap is easier said than done.
Over the past six months, Nielsen has launched new capabilities to expand its measurement around audience and out-of-home viewing. Its data currently covers 45 million households and 75 million devices in the U.S. alone. Amazon has notably used Nielsen’s big data panel measurement tools for its “Thursday Night Football” ratings.
A Nielsen spokesperson previously told TheWrap that it is “far ahead” of others in measuring streaming and viewing across all devices and that it has “he largest most representative people sample” and “more direct integrations with major media platforms than anyone else.” The firm has deals in place with every other legacy media company.
VideoAmp, which is not accredited by the MRC, is certified by the Joint Industry Committee, which represents advertisers, agencies and media owners. Other ratings measurement competitors include Comscore and iSpot.tv, which have both received accreditations from the MRC.
