NEW YORK—The Media Rating Council (MRC) has completed its accreditation process covering Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel National TV measurement, making it the first accredited national TV audience measurement provider for a Big Data + Panel, Nielsen said.
The move follows the MRC’s recent accreditation of Nielsen’s integration of first-party live streaming data and reaccrediting Nielsen’s traditional Panel measurement.
Big Data + Panel National TV Measurement combines Nielsen’s representative panel measurement with data from cable, satellite set-top boxes and smart TVs across 45 million households and 75 million devices.
Big Data + Panel is designed to help planning and measurement in the Nielsen ecosystem and partners’ systems. It can also be used in content programming and licensing decisions, along with carriage fees for TV distribution deals, Nielsen said.
Big Data + Panel was widely adopted by many broadcasters and agencies for the 2024 upfront season and Nielsen is endorsing its use as currency heading into the this year’s upfront, Nielsen said.
“The accreditation of Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel is a landmark moment for TV ratings, as it will forever change audience measurement," said Karthik Rao, Nielsen CEO. "No one else pairs a high quality, representative panel with a data set this large, pulling from smart TVs and set top boxes in more than 45 million homes. I believe Big Data + Panel gives the industry the most accurate measurement in the history of TV. We're grateful to our clients for helping us innovate once again."
“MRC has completed and evaluated rigorous audits of Nielsen’s National Service and its new components, including first party streaming (thus far consisting of select NFL games) and the integration of big data,” said George Ivie, CEO and executive director of the MRC. “We have now approved the integration of big data so this combined methodology can be considered MRC accredited; we appreciate Nielsen’s inclusion of this in the MRC accreditation process.” George added, “this effort marks the first time MRC has accredited a hybrid panel/big-data product inclusive of persons level estimates.”
The accreditation was also applauded by others. “The NFL continues to support Nielsen's efforts to modernize measurement so we can all benefit from accurate insights in an increasingly fragmented media marketplace,” said Paul Ballew, chief data and analytic officer of the NFL. “The accreditation of their Big Data solution is a significant step in the journey and we commend Nielsen for their efforts.”
More information is available at www.nielsen.com.
