CANNES — Until now, Nielsen had the US TV measurement field all to itself.
Now a range of new tools and providers is being tested by broadcasters keen to find additional ways to count cross-platform viewing.
In this video interview with Beet.TV, Roberto Ruiz, EVP, Research, Insights & Analytics, Univision, says this boom will lead to several major measurements being in-market – but he says Nielsen can help the upstarts more accurately measure diverse audiences.
Competition is good
“We are going to end up in a sort of multi-currency world,” Ruiz says. “As the media fragments, I think that measurement will somehow fragment. I don’t think we’re going to have 20 players, but we may have three or four that are really important versus one.
“You are seeing now the emergence of competitors, like VideoAmp, or iSpot or 605 that are challenging Nielsen and the space in general with new techniques, with new tools.
“Competition is good for everybody. This is going to make the whole measurement environment better.”
Minorities miscounted?
But Ruiz, whose Univision serves Hispanic audiences, says minority audiences are not being counted properly.
“In the case of Hispanics, you have characteristics like high over-the-air audience, the use of a different language that are not necessarily being counted appropriately or accurately by some of these new entrants,” he warns.
“We’re working with them to lend our expertise and help them create the tools and algorithms, so we make sure that everybody is counted.
“Representation of minorities is critical in this new media world, in this new currency world.”
Panel power
Ruiz acknowledges Nielsen is not letting the evolution happen without helping drive the market, too.
The company has been working on its own Nielsen ONE cross-platform measurement suite, and Ruiz says Nielsen will be “a very important player”.
He says Nielsen’s panel foundation can help augment the new tools.
“We’re working with them on understanding Nielsen ONE, and the fact that they have a panel that is representative of the Hispanic population that has been recruited to follow the census profile,” he says.
“It’s very important, because that panel could eventually be used for calibration of some other tools. It’s important to have representative tools to understand what we’re not counting.”
You are watching ‘The Future of Media Measurement’, Beet.TV Leadership Summit at Cannes Lions 2022, presented by Nielsen.
For more videos from this series, please visit this page.
Beet.TV is an official partner of Cannes Lions.
