LAS VEGAS — Some sections of the industry may associate Nielsen with a historic and ageing panel-based method of measuring TV audience.
Others may observe how TV networks themselves are now launching head-long in to offering audience-based ad-buying solutions.
But Nielsen says it has been doing that for years.
“We’re very supportive of OpenAP and all these initiatives that are rolling across the networks,” says Nielsen Media Research product management SVP Kelly Abcarian, referring to the partnership between Fox, Turner and Viacom to offer targeted ad buying for linear, as well as similar plans from NBC Universal and A+E Networks. “We’ve been doing this for decades.”
Referring to Nielsen Catalina and Buyer Reports data services the firm launched back in 2014, Abcarian adds that Nielsen can help TV networks offer buyers the granular and individual viewer data they want.
“We have historical benchmarks and data that allow the industry to rapidly move against this new television season, to transition from age/sex buying to true audience segmentation buying,” she says.
Nielsen’s new method for measuring cross-platform viewing of TV and digital content using a single metric, Total Content Ratings, was delayed again after key client NBC Universal dubbed it “bad, inaccurate and misleading”.
But the firm isn’t done trying to enhance its TV measurement products. “We’re going to be enhancing the size of our panels dramatically, 2x across the top 44 DMAs, as well as bringing set-top data that enriches our in-market panels … to truly reflect that consumer,” Abcarian concludes.
“That will be rolling out … over the back half of this year… we’ll look to take that out to currency in 2018.”
This video is part of Beet.TV’s coverage of the 2017 NAB Show in Las Vegas. The series is sponsored by Ooyala. For more coverage of NAB, please visit this page.
