Nielsen gets MRC nod for first-party streaming data integration

Nielsen, a major player in audience measurement, has received approval from the Media Rating Council (MRC) for a plan to incorporate first-party streaming data into its national TV ratings. This integration aims to provide a more comprehensive and accurate view of television viewership. Additionally, the MRC has renewed its accreditation for Nielsen's national panel measurement, reaffirming the reliability of its methodology, as per a report.

The Media Rating Council's vote of confidence could pave the way for several media companies to adopt the "panel plus big data" measurement for live programming that airs on both linear TV and streaming platforms, primarily live sports. Currently, Amazon is the sole Nielsen client utilizing this integrated measurement for its Thursday Night Football telecasts, an agreement that caused some controversy within the industry when it commenced in 2023, the report further stated.

“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 "panel plus big data" figures for Thursday Night Football over the past five weeks have revealed an 8% increase, or nearly 1 million viewers, compared to the panel-only measure. Several other Nielsen clients are currently in talks with the company to integrate their first-party measurement data, joining Amazon, which has been utilizing this integrated measurement for its Thursday Night Football telecasts since 2023. Notably, NBC and Fox already disclose their own cross-platform viewing totals for major events.

“We congratulate Nielsen on the renewal of accreditation of its national television panel measurement and on receiving approval to integrate its first-party streaming data into the panel measurement,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the MRC. “This was a significant effort and we appreciate Nielsen’s ongoing commitment to the MRC accreditation process.”

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