Fragmented viewing environment hampers ability to see cross channel picture
How to measure the results of cross channel viewership has been a problem for most marketers since we moved from watching only the television, and reading only printed media.
The problem is highlighted in the criticism of Nielsen which lost its accreditation from the Media Ratings Council for its national and local TV measurement after the company failed to accurately count household viewership during the pandemic. Nielsen had previously lost accreditation for its digital ad ratings currency as well.
Nielsen recently announced that it was moving into private equity ownership after it accepted a US$16m bid from Evergreen Coast Capital Corporation, an affiliate of activist investment firm Elliott Management, which has been pushing to take Nielsen private. The all-cash deal values Nielsen at $16 billion, or roughly $28 per share, including debt. The transaction is subject to approval from Nielsen shareholders and regulators but is expected to close in the second half of 2022. The agreement comes after Nielsen rejected a previous $9 billion takeover bid by the group that it claimed undervalued the company.
Advertisers and media owners have been frustrated by Nielsen’s inability to track cross-screen viewership for years and while Nielsen has promised to reveal a fully functional, cross-platform currency under the new banner NielsenOne this won’t happen until 2024.
Many big advertisers and media owners are already testing new currencies and measurement providers during this year’s major consumer events.
NBCUniversal, for instance, announced last week it would use iSpotTV as a functional currency after working with the provider to measure viewership during Super Bowl LVI and the Beijing Winter Olympics.
Ad buyers are moving on as well, testing the viability of providers such as VideoAmp to offer a fuller picture of their clients’ ad delivery. But not all ad buyers and sellers are writing off Nielsen, with most continuing to use the provider in some form for the foreseeable future especially in the US.
Loyalty Magazine Comment
What the Nielsen case does illustrate, is how hard it is to be certain of any type of viewing figures in an increasingly fragmented environment, especially with growing regulation making it very difficult to gather data.
This is leading to a growing use of customer loyalty incentives to share data, a trend that is almost certain to continue for the foreseeable future. Also expect to see a raft of new companies emerging, that use new and emerging technologies for “listening” to customer behaviour. This whole area is ripe for disruption.