Welcome to the blog of Dr. Lisa Burns' Media Studies senior capstone class (2 pm section) at Quinnipiac University. If you're looking for the latest on media industry trends and insightful media analysis, you've come to the right place!
Tuesday, February 1, 2022
Audience Metrics & Advertising Blog 2, Question 1 (Feb. 8)
Given the shifts in how audiences consume
media and issues with their methodology, do the Nielsen ratings still matter?
Why or why not? And what are some of the alternative ways to better track media
usage?Limit: 15 responses
Given the world of technology we currently live in, audiences have shifted in the ways they consume media related content. Nielsen, a media research company, is wrapped up in this digital change. Since 1950, Neilsen has essentially been the scorekeeper for the TV business (Battaglio, 2021). Nielsen is set up in households where they record and send information back to networks who depend on its audience measurement data. The real value of Nielsen is that they take great care in ensuring that their panel represents all demographics (Battaglio, 2021) Today, Nielsen ratings do still matter because they have adapted to this change in audience behavior.
The biggest new change was that media streaming platforms were on the rise. People were now consuming other forms of media rather than just television. Nielsen stepped up and started to measure streaming viewing habits as well (Battaglio, 2021). Half of their panel of homes now have streaming meters which track everything that comes in through the router. Nielsen started 2021 with 10 streaming platforms and now at the end of the year they service 17 (Battaglio, 2021).
However, the Covid-19 pandemic but a wrench in Neilsen’s ability to track new household viewing habits. Nielsen relies on 40,000 homes nationwide to obtain their data (Battaglio, 2021). They acknowledged that its ratings data had been less reliable during the pandemic because it was unable to recruit new panel members in person (Baine, 2022). Media companies that use Nielsen said that they lost millions in revenue as a result of them unable to record new household viewing habits. Battaglio wrote that this led major Nielsen customers such as NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS to consider competing services (2021). Hence, companies found that there are alternative ways to better track media usage. NBCUniversal in recent years has been the most vocal critic of Nielsen and their media research (Baine, 2022). NBCUniversal is testing an alternative service this month to track viewings of the Olympics and the Super Bowl (Battaglio, 2022). Battaglio wrote that the company announced they will be using data from iSpot.tv for these two major events (2022). NBCUniversal remains a client of Nielsen, yet this testing with iSpot.tv will be a high-profile effort to promote a viable competitor against Nielsen (Battaglio, 2022). ISpot.tv’s services were established in 2012 and are already used by half of the top 100 television and video advertisers (Battaglio, 2022). They are quickly becoming a strong alternative company to better track media usage.
Nevertheless, Nielsen will continue to push forward and be innovative in tracking media viewing habits. Specifically, Nielsen will be debuting a new ratings metric later this year called Nielsen One (Baine, 2022). Baine wrote that this will be a replacement for their current C3 rating metric (2022). It is critical that Nielsen makes improvements sooner rather than later. Many of their major clients are starting to experiment with competing ratings platforms and Nielsen must put a stop to this.
References:
Baine, D. (2022, January 12). Is covid-19 killing the Nielsen ratings cash cow? Forbes. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/derekbaine/2022/01/11/is-covid-19-killing-the-nielsen-ratings-cash-cow/?sh=51efa908169d
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal selects audience measurement alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528
Given the way audiences are shifting their viewing from traditional viewing to streaming, on their own time and on a multitude of devices, it seems the Nielsen ratings are beginning to decline in overall importance. This is not to be confused with saying that tracking overall viewership and habits lacks significance. Still, the long-standing measurement tool may not keep up with the times.
According to Steinberg, “NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia and Univision have all solicited rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who are increasingly watching their TV favorites at times of their own choosing, usually via broadband technology. Nielsen is also grappling with a loss of accreditation for its national ratings service,” which comes after the riff between the legacy media companies and Nielsen hit a breaking point during the pandemic. Legacy companies felt the TV viewership numbers were widely inaccurate and lost their faith.
However, some newer players, like YouTube, recently announced that they would be shifting to Neilsen ratings for the first time, hoping that the rating company’s ability to produce empirical data and trust with consumers will assist them (Battaglio).
With that, there has been a lot of debate between Neilsen and rival company Comscore. A representative for Neilsen argues that the big data-derived measurement tools being used by companies like Comscore are not being validated and that they cannot target U.S. population-representative samples the same way Neilsen does and always has (Poppie). Comscore, however, shot back that the RPD data comprises “more than 35 million households and 70 million devices across all 210 local markets” and aligns well with the population makeup (Vinson).
Regardless, other companies are getting into the business, and legacy media companies are picking up on it, according to Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter. For example, Rentrak TV Essentials has an impressive sample size with over 30 million homes and Video-on-Demand viewing information from more than 117 million. Still, they can’t determine who precisely in the household is watching. Another possible contender is Cogent Reports, which has long provided research to financial companies but was picked up by NBCUniversal.
With the changing landscape of viewership, how companies have lost trust in Neilsen, and the other companies beginning to take shape in the space, it seems the Neilsen ratings may no longer be as essential as they were in the past. I personally believe that Neilsen was not prepared to adjust their model, and they now seem unwilling. Consumers don’t want to be tracked. They definitely don’t want to be bothered by having something installed in their homes specifically to do so. There has to be a better way for major companies to see how people are viewing their content without the hassle, inaccuracy, and underrepresentation, and not only is Neilsen not prepared to do those things, but it seems like no company is just yet.
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny. Guthrie, Marisa. “The Battle to Build a Better TV Ratings System: 6 Alternative Ways to Measure Viewing.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2015, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/battle-build-a-better-tv-794420/. Poppie, Molly. “The Not-so-Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/the-not-so-hidden-problem-with-big-data-sets. Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7. Vinson, Dr. Michael. “Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&utm_medium=email&utm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
This week's readings highlight Nielsen’s weaknesses and strengths. In “Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets,” by Molly Poppie, the strengths of Nielsen’s data collection are evident as the company is able to collect more intricate data of the individual watching a specific program (1). Poppie says that Nielsen correctly matches data from each household and reports demographics and characteristics from them (1). Nielsen’s competitors would include companies that use large data sets. As Poppie’s article notes, the limitation with big data sets include the inability to understand the viewers demographics such as age, income, race, and ethnicity (1). The reasoning for this is due to the fact that big data sets are built around billing information or online behavior (1). From Poppie’s article, I can conclude that Nielsen provides a lot of useful information to advertisers such as providing information of the viewer’s identity as a way of understanding a potential consumer for a product or service. Unlike larger data sets, Nielsen is able to account for populations of people that are usually forgotten about in larger data sets such as younger audiences, Brown and Black people, and lower income people (Poppie 1). I think with the cost of advertising today, having the most detailed information on a potential consumer is necessary to provide some sort of indication that the ad is reaching the right targeted audience.
In “Nielsen and The Future of Measuring Television and Video Viewers,” Scott N. Brown, the GM of audience measurement at Nielsen, stresses the fact that companies, specifically in the streaming world, want to know specific details of viewers' habits (Adgate). He says that companies don’t just want to know who their viewers are but what else they are viewing and what they are not (Adgate). The most important point that Brown makes in his interview with Brad Adgate is how data of demographics and viewing behavior is essential to our current culture today and with our desire to be heard, seen and valued. I think that without data that can tell advertisers what is successful and what isn’t successful based on viewing habits it is impossible to create content for a particular group of people which is why Nielsen ratings still matter today.
However, the weaknesses with Nielsen’s model include the fact that they have a low-response rate and it only measures data from people that want to be a part of the data collection. Dr. Michael Vinson, Comscore’s Chief Research Officer, says that Nielsen can only account for viewing behavior and collect demographics on the participants they receive which eliminates data collection from the households that they don’t collect (1). The other alternatives or competitors of Nielsen include measuring TV usage from set top boxes from MVPDs and automated content recognition (ACR) usage from Smart TVs (Adgate). NBCUniversal is also assembling their own measurement solution that will create new competition for Nielsen as they are collecting the same information but in-house. Though Nielsen argues that larger data sets eliminate data of demographics, their data was criticized for being incorrect after they underreported TV usage because of faulty reporting from homes in their samples (Lafayette). For this reason, I believe that Nielsen data and their competitors are on an equal level of providing adequate information on consumer behavior. Both data sets have their weaknesses and strengths and I think NBCUniversal and Comscore could bring them down especially after their inaccurate data report. I would argue that there is great potential for media conglomerates to make their own data sets as they are able to collect information in the way that they want and measure what they find useful for their streaming platforms and content which Nielsen may not be able to keep up with.
Works Cited
Adgate, Brad. “Nielsen and the Future of Measuring Television and Video Viewers.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2020/10/01/nielsen-and-the-future-of-measuring-television-and-video-viewers/?sh=2f4f64e5683c.
Lafayette, Jon. “Contradicting Nielsen, Comscore Says TV Use Didn't Fall in Pandemic.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 10 May 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/news/contradicting-nielsen-comscore-says-tv-use-didnt-fall-in-pandemic.
Vinson, Dr. Michael. “Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&utm_medium=email&utm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
Poppie, Molly. “The Not-so-Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/the-not-so-hidden-problem-with-big-data-sets.
Olivia Kettell 1/2 For more than 70 years, television network companies have looked towards Nielsen for their reports on data regarding TV viewership and trends. However, today the question is arising whether Nielsen can still be used in a time when TV is not the same as it once was. Despite Nielsen collecting data from 40,000 households across the country, because of new TV and streaming viewership habits brought about during the pandemic, the company has had a hard time putting out the same level of data it once did (Battaglio). Even in the new streaming era, Nielsen data is still relevant to media companies because they need to evaluate the effectiveness and reach of advertisements and content (Fischer).
Nielsen has been adjusting to the change, and the company has been able to note additional media consumption, such as YouTube viewing and podcast listening, had increased during the pandemic as well. Through their 40,000 panelists they can tell how viewers watch content and on which devices, all through their routers. Once streaming became more popular, Nielsen shifted their data analysis to viewership in amount of time spent, combining live TV and streaming material (Battaglio). Despite Nielsen’s adjustment, top media companies are panicking and some are even planning to start up their own data collection. WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, and ViacomCBS have begun to consider how to obtain their own streaming and advertisement data (“WarnerMedia Plans…”). NBC is planning to use a new system right away for this year’s Olympics and Super Bowl (Fischer).
The pandemic complicated the system that has been in place since 1950, and Nielsen even lost their accreditation from the Media Rating Council after complications in reporting pandemic-era data which diminished their status in the media world (Steinberg). However, their data will still be the main source used in advertisement deals for now, although companies will start to consider data from additional research companies as well to prepare for the chance that Nielsen continues to lose credibility (Peterson). One marketing firm is choosing to go a different way and will begin to observe 22 million households daily on their own to gain insight into live TV and streaming, named the “605 Exchange” (“Marketing Analytics Firm 605…”).
Olivia Kettell 2/2 In the eyes of advertisement companies who consider the data, they have been working with Nielsen for years and the deals made between companies also last for a set amount of time. What makes it difficult today is Nielsen’s recent switch in data collection and reporting which has left many companies unhappy (Peterson). However, if every media company became a source for their own data instead of having one overarching research company like Nielsen to report, there is potential for confusion and competition. Marketing and advertisement companies are already unsure of utilizing data obtained from the same companies who produce and distribute the content because of potential inaccuracy or bias (“Marketing Analytics Firm 605…”).
Despite issues in data collection at the very beginning of the pandemic, Nielsen has adapted to the change and can still obtain in-depth data from their panel of households that contains information on streaming and devices (Battaglio). Overall, personally I believe Nielsen is currently the best source for information because they have the sources and many years of expertise to put out data now and continue to develop better ways to do so in the future. Like Nielsen, everyone is still learning, and no one today really knows the streaming landscape better than anyone else.
Works Cited Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny. Fischer, Sara, and Kerry Flynn. “TV Networks Overhaul Measurement System amid Streaming Surge.” Axios, 18 Jan. 2022, https://www.axios.com/nielsen-measurement-streaming-efa7af81-2cad-4108-9c96-243148499246.html. Peterson, Tim. “Advertisers, TV Networks Plan to Set Nielsen Alternatives as 'Shadow Currencies'.” Digiday, 31 Jan. 2022, https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/advertisers-tv-networks-plan-to-set-nielsen-alternatives-as-shadow-currencies-in-this-years-upfront-negotiations/. Steinberg, Brian. “Marketing Analytics Firm 605 Plans Alternative to Nielsen Measurement.” Variety, Variety, 14 Dec. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/605-kristin-dolan-media-measurement-nielsen-1235132761/. Steinberg, Brian. “WarnerMedia Plans to Launch Nielsen Measurement Alternative in 2022.” Variety, Variety, 19 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/warnermedia-nielsen-audience-measurement-alternative-1235115445/.
Jennifer Greene “The migration of TV viewers from the traditional experience of watching shows in linear fashion to new digital behaviors is taking place faster than anyone can track,” (Steinberg, 2021). With the change in consumer behavior in regards to television entertainment, there are certain aspects of the industry that need to change with it. Nielsen, known for tracking ratings, is at risk if they are unable to keep up with the evolving technology. However, I believe that Neilsen is on the path toward evolving with consumer behavior, and, although I do not think their ratings matter, the data they are collecting is invaluable. According to CEO of Neilsen, David Kenny, Nielsen has made many steps in the right direction. For example, on Dec. 6, 2020, Nielsen made the move to tracking time spent viewing and combining streaming and linear measurement as well as being able to track everything that comes through the home’s router, so they can gather data on multiple screens using different services (streaming or otherwise), (Battaglio, 2021). With this new approach Kenny states, “the advertiser will not just know what the program rating was, but they will know how many people saw their ad for its entirety,” which is undeniably important data since attention span for advertisements is declining, in my opinion. Regardless if these steps are taking place, can Neilsen adapt as quickly as competitors? For example, Comscore, Inc. utilizes data from millions of cable set-top boxes rather than Neilsen’s 40,000 household-panel, which gives them an advantage via larger sample size, (Bruell, 2021). TV companies are also investing in their own measurement products, according to The Wall Street Journal, but that leaves the question of who will advertisers trust to buy/use the data. The Media Rating Council, “the media industry’s measurement watchdog,” suspended Neilsen’s accreditation in September of 2021, which will be the first time the company is not accredited since the 1960s, (Bruell, 2021).
Jennifer Greene Pt 2 This poses a huge risk for the company as it leaves the top spot open for other competitors. But, Kenny, CEO of Neilsen, believes that no other company is in the position to do what Neilsen does, and media executives agree with him. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Even if buyers and sellers of ads have complaints about Neilsen, for now, dropping the company is a pipe dream for many because of its size and clout, media executives said,” validating Kenny’s point that Neilsen is still in the game. Nielsen still may be the most trusted, even after losing accreditation, but are they proving themselves to be the most valuable? Honestly, I’m not sure. Many companies are looking to develop alternative metrics that would collect data from both traditional TV and streaming services, but it appears that those metrics are still being developed, and no one is definitely ahead in terms of implementing these strategies. To recap, I believe that Neilsen is still number one when it comes to ratings, or time-viewing stats, but it is in a precarious situation if it wants to continue being the legacy it is. The two major threats to Neilsen are competitors developing metrics faster and being unable to evolve parallel to consumer behavior. So, does Neilsen still matter? Of course, it does, but that does not mean it’s future is certain.
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Its chief executive responds. - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny Bruell, A. (2021, September 7). Nielsen’s Grip Over TV Ratings Loosens Amid Streaming Boom - WSJ. WSJ; The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/nielsens-grip-over-tv-ratings-loosens-amid-streaming-boom-11631007002 Steinberg, B. (2021, November 22). Nielsen Plans Overhaul in 2022 for TV’s Commercial Ratings - Variety. Variety; Variety. https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7
I personally don’t think Nielsen ratings hold as much importance as they once did. Not to say they aren’t still important; I just don’t think they are as important. It’s impossible to know who is actually watching something unless you are in the room with them. You can’t tell who is on their phone while the commercials play or if the TV is left on while someone is asleep. We live in such a different age where I think it’s impossible to tell who is watching, but TV companies rely on Nielsen to provide a good idea. Nielsen has 40,000 homes in the country that they use to track viewing habits, (Battaglio). Throughout the pandemic it was very difficult for them to maintain that number. This makes me a little skeptical about how accurate the ratings truly are. I do think it’s good for Nielsen to track streaming as that has become such an important part of the television industry and is only getting bigger. Many TV executives were not happy after the pandemic about potential undercounting their programing. It’s estimated that Nielsen undercounted total television use by as much as 6 percent, (Hsu). I just think it’s difficult to trust one ratings company for everything especially knowing that it may not be totally accurate. You also have to factor in the people who have Nielsen in their home want to have Nielsen in the home. This again results under coverage and potentially a little bias. In 2010, the total homes with televisions totaled 116 million, (Hsu). 40,000 Nielsen homes is a very small percentage of that. Also, when you have big time TV executives not happy, you are going to start to see more and more companies do their own tracking or find others, and they already have started.
Part 2 WarnerMedia and NBCUniversal have already started to track their own ratings. These companies are already paying Nielsen millions of dollars a year and aren’t happy with their service. When the other companies start to find other venders, they are happy with, then Nielsen could be in trouble. WarnerMedia is in the process of reaching out to 10 to 15 different measurement rating services, (Steinberg). They are searching for an alternative. I think the opportunity is there for others to come into play in the industry. Nielsen has dominated this space for decades and I think eventually others will catch up. I don’t know that there are better ways to do this kind of thing. I feel as though people have become very conscious about data usage and many might not want Nielsen or other companies in their homes tracking what they watch. Also, like I mentioned before, you really can’t tell who exactly is watching. These companies can have an idea, which is important, but there’s know way of telling exact. It’s just a matter of time before other measurement vendors catch up to Nielsen.
Works Cited
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count In the Streaming Age?” 13 Dec. 2021. Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html. Steinberg, Brian. “WarnerMedia Plans to Launch Nielsen Measurement Alternative in 2022.” 18 Nov. 2021.
In today’s media climate, television ratings are not as important as they used to be. Shows are, for the most part, far easier to predict, as big budget shows developed by big budget studios have erupted into prominence and consistently see success. So, realistically, just considering that fact alone, Nielsen’s ratings don’t matter. But there is more to it than this. First thing that has to be considered is just how little of a sample size of the media market Nielsen’s ratings capture. According to the Los Angeles Times, Nielsen’s ratings come from “40,000 homes nationwide”. This does not represent the country’s entire viewer pool at all. According to statista, the average household has 10 “connected devices”, the majority of which can view media content, whether that be standard television or streaming. This equates to a baffling figure which 40,000 can’t hope to tap into. You could very easily have 20,000 of those 40,000 located in the northeast, watching a show that isn’t being viewed by anyone in the south, central and western states. You could also have 2,000 viewers who emphatically watch hours of a show, bumping up the show's individual numbers and skewing the data higher than it should be on average. There is also the issue of the recent upgrades in streaming. If 5,000 users don’t purchase a new streaming service due to being outside the age demographic or a lack of exposure, it can limit how much of an impact the service is observed to have as a whole. Finally there is the issue of Nielsen being limited to the US. With every large media conglomerate striving to go global, Nielsen will be even less relevant as time goes by without following suit and looking overseas.
So what is the solution? Media companies have to start looking to gain data through alternative sources. For true data, that means dealing with streaming services and TV providers directly. If Nielsen is to keep up, this means working with these companies to get a larger pool of users from different streaming platforms located in different places across the globe. But to bring it back to my first point, ultimately, this is slowly all becoming irrelevant for the most viewed content. Every so often hit shows like Squid Game and Money Heist will come along but they will soon be fully overtaken. Perth Now showcased the numbers for the most viewed shows of 2021 and four of the top 10 are from previously established content and have long standing fanbases. This will increase overtime with the release of new major budget shows every year, leaving data to track only the second rate shows. These second rate shows will have to sustain Nielsen and other ratings companies for the foreseeable future.
Sources: Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Vailshery, L. S. (2021, January 22). Average Number of Connected Devices in U.S. 2020. Statista. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107206/average-number-of-connected-devices-us-house/
McKenna, S. (2022, January 3). The 21 most watched TV shows of 2021. PerthNow. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-21-most-watched-tv-shows-of-2021-c-5168226
Sources: Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Vailshery, L. S. (2021, January 22). Average Number of Connected Devices in U.S. 2020. Statista. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107206/average-number-of-connected-devices-us-house/
McKenna, S. (2022, January 3). The 21 most watched TV shows of 2021. PerthNow. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-21-most-watched-tv-shows-of-2021-c-5168226
Technology has made indescribable advances in recent years and decades. That is particularly evident in the media, where consumers can watch their favorite television shows at any time on a multitude of devices. Not too long ago, watching TV required sitting down at a specific time. If you missed it, you were short on luck. Despite these advances, seemingly simple things still elude the industry. For example, Nielsen, the decades-long industry standard for data on media consumption, has essentially been making educated guesses of how many people watch individual television ads for the last 15 years (Steinberg). When hundreds of millions of dollars are at play when it comes to paying for this service and negotiations between advertisers and media companies, estimates simply are not enough anymore.
This realization was exacerbated, as many things were, by the pandemic, when its base of 40,000 homes that use measurement devices from which the final data is extrapolated was disrupted. “The COVID-19 pandemic limited Nielsen’s ability to maintain that number, and media companies say they have lost millions in ad revenue as a result” (Battaglio). But it’s clear that the pandemic trends weren’t solely based on the virus alone. Streaming, which has altered traditional TV viewing habits, has been climbing in recent years and is in the middle of an explosion.
I would argue that the tracking of social media trends and metrics are just as important if not more so than television analytics. As previously mentioned, media consumption is no longer black and white and that’s proven further by discrepancies in published ratings by companies like Netflix. What counts as a “viewer” through one lens might not be the same through another. Social media allows people to tailor what they see to their interests. When it comes to media, they can follow their favorite shows and actors and interact with people that share similar interests. For example, brand awareness is a commonly-tracked social media concept. “Building brand awareness helps audiences to recognize, recall, and relate to your business. It sets in motion a series of steps that take people from curious strangers to satisfied customers” (Walgrove).
Admitting that past practices are not suited for the future of the media landscape is very important. The way our society is built, Nielsen’s executives would be shamed for overseeing the company’s downfall. The ability to adapt is important but more so is the willingness to completely tear up what has worked in the past and take risks based on investments in data. Given recent trends, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nielsen is purchased by a conglomerate like Amazon or Google that can use its seemingly unlimited resources to shake up the content measurement game.
Works Cited Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/.
Walgrove, Amanda. “How to Measure Brand Awareness: Metrics, Tools, and Kpis.” Taboola Blog, 31 Mar. 2020, https://blog.taboola.com/how-to-measure-brand-awareness/.
As we have seen throughout the past few years, there has been a major shift in how audiences consume media. Nielsen media research company has been the scorekeeper for the TV business since 1950. Many networks depend on Nielsen’s audience measurement data (Battaglio). As we know, during the COVID-19 pandemic many TV networks saw a huge decrease in their viewing numbers. Nielsen struggled a lot during this time, as they lost millions in ad revenue since they could not maintain tracking viewing habits and TV ratings (Battaglio). Streaming has increased a lot since the pandemic. There are a growing number of platforms with lots of different content to accesses from it. Other media platforms also become popular such as YouTube and podcasting (Battaglio). Not many people were interested in watching live TV.
About half of the homes currently have streaming meters and over the next year all homes will have them. This is a different metric measuring than they have seen before (Battaglio). Many streaming platforms have their own data to measure their streaming. They can see how many people are watching something and when they are watching. However, they can’t track what people are watching when they are not using their streaming service (Battaglio). With the streaming wars going on today, many people tend to have multiple different streaming subscriptions. In the beginning of 2021, there were 10 platforms, and we currently have 17 (Battaglio). It is very important for companies to be able to know this information.
NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia, and Univision have all had rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who watch TV on their own time. They use a broadband technology to do this (Steinburg). However, Nielsen is also working on technology enhancement that will help meet the media industries’ changing needs. They plan on using linear and digital venues to measure data (Steinburg). This will likely put Nielsen in a race with other media companies to see who can develop a new working system. Other networks are trying to create something that can be used for these new modern audience behaviors (Steinburg). Both Nielsen and other companies know that the switch from the traditional way of watching TV and movies to the new digital streaming way, is happening a lot faster than anyone thought or tracked.
Overall, Nielsen ratings do still matter. Streaming companies do have their own way to track data throughout their platform, but like mentioned earlier they do not have a way to see what other streaming platform people are using or watching. This could be very helpful and crucial for many companies to know who their main competitor is. They could see the area and demographic in which most people are switching to other platforms. These alternative ways to track media usage that networks have created work well specifically for the network, but not overall across the market. Nielsen is able to track audience behavior in a better way.
Works Cited: Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Nielsen, a media research company, has consistently been tracking audience measurement since 2007 (Steinberg, 2021). Although, with the way media operates today, Nielsen's notorious ratings have become inconsistent leaving advertisers frustrated. Measuring audiences is not just vital but it's competitive. Since the pandemic, Nielsen’s home panels to track TV ratings have impacted the company's status in the media sphere. Resulting in inaccurate data and ultimately loss of ad revenue (Battaglio, 2021). With the rise of streaming and consumption of other forms of media, Nielsen has adjusted to track the consumption of users watching TV on mobile devices and tablets. In the past, networks have shelled out millions to Nielsen to obtain audience data from television programming and advertisements (Steinberg, 2021). When it comes to experience, consistency, and hierarchy with data metrics, Nielsen comes top of mind. Although several alternative ways can accurately track media usage. NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia, and Univision have all obtained rival vendors to help create new, accurate ways to measure audiences through broadband technology (Steinberg, 2021). During the pandemic, Nielsen fastened its seatbelt in preparation for downfall when it announced that television viewing was going down in 2020 (Vinson, 2021). On the contrary, Comscore, a company using big data, contradicted Nielsen that TV consumption increased. Comscore’s alternative approach to measuring data deals with utilizing a large scale of return-path data whereas Nielsen still uses small panels to obtain their data (Vinson, 2021). Since this detrimental mistake, Nielsen’s accreditation was removed from the Media Rating Council (Lafayette, 2021). This sparks hesitancy in skeptical marketers and advertisers when it comes to obtaining the accuracy of their viewing metrics. Nielsen ratings are still informative but not up to date with the course modern technology is taking. Nielsen has hope that the company can keep up with the way the industry is changing, however, they have some competition. Chief executive of Nielsen, David Kenny doesn’t seem too concerned about the rivalry between other companies now tracking their own media usage data impacting Nielsen. Kenny believes that no other company has the scale, ability, empirical evidence, or trust factor to make a large enough investment to track data as Nielsen has for years (Battaglio, 2021).
Fingers crossed that Nielsen will prevail out of this pandemic hole they’ve dug themselves into. Currently, Nielsen’s ratings have little to no strength as they used to in the past. Media measurement requires larger sets of data with descriptive demographics/behavior traits of audience members. It prompts the question: Are advertisers becoming too specific or is this just the way modern tech is presumed to run its course in the future? In the broad scheme of things, media consumers don’t watch television as they had in the past. With streaming available on different devices and our disdain for swarming advertisements, it's going to be difficult for our digital actions to be measured. The companies that prevail will be the ones who can keep up with the major transitions in the way users utilize technology in the future.
Works Cited:
Battaglio, Stephen (2021, December 13). TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Lafayette, Jon (2021, September 1). Nielsen National TV Ratings Service Accreditation Suspended by MRC. Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nexttv.com/news/nielsen-national-tv-ratings-service-accreditation-suspended-by-mrc.
Steinberg, Brian (2021, November 22). Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads. Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Vinson, Dr. Michael (2021, October 21). Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement. Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
Nielson is a New York City-based media research company that has been the scorekeeper for the TV business since 1950 (Battaglio, 2021). Nielsen relies on 40.000 households to measure their viewing habits. The company uses the data to distribute TV ratings. However, since the pandemic Nielsen’s data was limited. As a result of that, big media companies have lost millions in ad revenue as a result (Battaglio, 2021). Tiffany Hsu is claiming that their shows have more viewers than they get credit for, so the data is not accurate (Hsu, 2021). NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS, who are major Nielsen customers, are considering competing services. David Kenny, chief executive of Nielsen, had an interview with The New York Times and said that because of the pandemic they were not able to visit Nielsen panelist homes face to face, and that hurt the company. Tiffany Hsu said that the pandemic threw Nielsen into a crisis because millions of people working from home, and there were complaints that Nielsen’s numbers were low (Hsu, 2021).
NBCUniversal is testing an alternative service in February 2022 to track the viewing data of the Olympics and the Super Bowl (Battaglio, 2022). The company is called iSpot.tv, it is a Bellevue, Washington-based company. However, the interesting part is that NBCUniversal stays a Nielsen client. Kelly Abcarian said that “This is not a shift away from one panel-based system to another, but a definitive step toward embracing the metrics brands already use to evaluate media companies,” (Battaglio, 2022.) Furthermore, David Zaslav, the chief executive of Discovery, said that “I don’t have a lot of hope for Nielsen” (Hsu, 2021). He continued that “I think somehow, as an industry, we’re just going to have to work our way out of it from a technology perspective and leave them in the dust” (Hsu, 2021). It shows that their clients do not have a lot of faith in Nielsen in the future.
I do think the Nielsen rating still matters. David Kanny explained that Nielsen will have all of the panel streaming meters over next year, the data will be more secure because people are watching TV on phones and tablets as well (Battaglio, 2021). Also, YouTube announced that they are going to measure all of YouTube’s data on Nielsen ratings, and YouTube is a big newcomer for them. I think that is what they needed after having a rough two years because of the pandemic. So, there are alternative ways to track media usage, like NBCUniversal is doing now with iSpot.tv, but is it going to be better than Nielsen? I still think Nielsen is the best company to track media usage. However, they have to stay on top of their game because competitions are growing for them.
Battaglio, Stephen. “NBCUniversal Selects Audience Measurement Alternative to Nielsen.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2022, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528. Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Its Chief Executive Responds.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny. Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html.
With consumer media seeing a heavy switch from platforms such as cable television to streaming services, questions regarding the technology being used to measure audience exposure are being brought to light. While networks pay Neilson millions of dollars yearly to gain its audience data, the pandemic has made the companies skeptical of Neilson’s efforts. Neilson has recently announced that they are coming up with new ways to measure their audiences, many networks are still wary to continue using Neilson after they believed the company was able to inaccurately record viewership. Neilson is urging networks to continue using their efforts, but it is being questioned whether or not their ratings will even matter in the future. One of their biggest challenges is that “the notion of a single viewer sitting through the same commercial break as every other person watching a particular video selection has quickly become relegated to the past,” (Steinberg 2021). However, Neilson is not worried about networks hiring their competitors because they believe that no other company will be able to achieve the level of success that they have already achieved. Their ratings also matter because not every family comes from the same background and there is a large demographic that is not able to afford streaming services or multiple devices to watch television on. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Neilson’s chief executive, Danny Kenny, stated, “People who are really living paycheck to paycheck can’t afford or don’t have access to all the same technology. Rural communities don’t always even have broadband,” (Battalgio 2021). They are also adapting to the changes in how audiences consume their media. In the same interview, Kenny spoke about how after Neilson began releasing streaming data in 2017, it made their company “more relevant.” However, not everyone seems to think that Neilson will be able to live up to the challenge of adapting to our society’s quickly changing media. Chief executive of Discover, David Zaslav, stated, “I don’t have a lot of hope for Neilson. I think somehow, as an industry, we’re just going to have to work our way out of it from a technology perspective and leave them in the dust,” (Hsu 2021). Only time will tell whether or not Neilson will come out as triumphant. As for alternative ways to better track media usage, I think that Neilson is doing all that they can to keep up with the quickly changing times. As long as they continue to earn trust from both the networks and from the households that they track, I think Neilson will continue to stay relevant.
Works Cited:
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Kyra Moos The ways in which audiences consume media have changed drastically over the course of the past ten years. My own habits have changed when it comes to watching media on television especially. Where I once used to sit on the couch and watch cable television, I now go to the internet and stream shows or movies on Netflix or, more commonly, consume media on social media. Nielsen has been the go-to for media companies when it comes to user media usage. Neilsen has positioned itself as one of the largest and most accredited companies for television ratings and usage. Nielsen collects data from measurement equipment placed in the homes of over 40,000 Americans, however, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected Neilsen’s ability to set up this equipment in viewers’ homes (Battaglio, 2021). Many media companies began to notice Neilsen’s errors, undercounting, and outdated ways. Undercounting one group of viewers could cost advertisers millions of dollars in potential advertising space. One article by Comscore showcases Nielsen’s weaknesses in the “new world” and positions themselves to be more experienced in media measurement (Vinson, 2021). With these changes taking place within technology daily, I believe that Nielsen’s ways of measuring have proven to be outdated and they need to make room for a more modern way of doing so. Nielsen was slow to even recognize streaming services as they only made the adjustment in their data in December of 2020. This adjustment tracked viewers' time spent watching but did not differentiate streaming, live, or DVR (Battaglio, 2021). As Vinson explained, the shift in distribution platforms and advertising requires modern thinking, modern data, and modern technology (2021).
Due to how outdated Nielsen’s measurements are, with the ability to only track small panels which are often unreliable, I feel that their ratings from the past two years should be taken with a grain of salt. Other rating companies such as Comscore, are collecting data more wide-scale, claiming to be in one-third of American homes as well as working with advertising companies (Vison, 2021). This wide-scale measurement method is far more inclusive and will produce more accurate results. I don’t believe that Neilsen should have the monopoly-like platform they have currently. However, they are still a large company with a lot of accreditation, if Nielsen can handle this crisis effectively, by owning up to their flaws and making serious changes, their ratings will continue to be of importance. Other media companies feel the same way, such as NBC and WarnerMedia who have both chosen other options to Neilsen. Making this choice allows these companies to focus their attention on streaming services. However, NBC is still signed with Nielsen, showing that their data still matters (Battaglio, 2022).
Works Cited Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal selects audience measurement alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528 Stephen Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal Selects Audience Measurement Alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528
With streaming being the prominent way that people now consume media, are Nielsen ratings still relevant? Nielsen ratings have been noticeable in the past, showing what audiences were exposed to content and advertising (Nielsen). There are many subscription services that do not use traditional advertising, including Netflix and other premium ad free options such as Hulu and HBO Max. It raises the question of if these ratings even matter anymore. Why would Nielsen still be a significant part of media if media participants are no longer viewing ads like they used to? However, there are also streaming options that have ads throughout shows, as mentioned above, Hulu and HBO Max both have subscriptions that cost less, but still include ads in their content. Many subscribers are willing to pay less and watch a few ads rather than pay more for no ads at all. This could show that Nielsen could still be vital for media in order to see who is watching ads, and it may even answer the question of why. Although ads are not as blatantly seen as they have been in the past, media is using ads in different, perhaps more calculated ways. In the early days of television, there was no such thing as commercials, but rather shows were sponsored by different organizations, like Texaco and Carnation Milk. For example, the Netflix Original, Stranger Things used an outrageous amount of product placement within their production, especially in later seasons. Although it is not the advertising we are used to, it can still be incredibly effective. Although Neilson could potentially still be relevant on some platforms mentioned above, like HBO and Hulu, it is not very relevant when it comes to streaming for the premium options, or platforms without ads like Netflix. This is where we may see changes in how media is tracked. Streaming services could potentially start their own technology to track media usage to share with companies that use advertising on platforms, but this could be challenging without a third party because streaming services may be tempted to inflate how many people are viewing ads in order to get more money from advertisers. Additionally, shows could be individually sponsored by brands, but that would give the platform less control over the content, which some people may disagree with. Next, product placement could be used, because every time someone watches a show or movie, the product will be seen within the show. Moreover, each platform has algorithms to show how long, and how often their subscribers use their platform. It is complicated because Nielsen could potentially still track subscription services but they may need to change their programming and make it different for particular platforms because they all operate somewhat differently.
Nielsen TV Ratings. Nielsen. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/television/
In today’s day in age, audiences have begun to shift in how they choose to view media content. Fading into the past are the times of cable’s dominance in the media landscape, as handfuls of streaming platforms have appeared. With the introduction of these streaming platforms and viewers' ability to watch their favorite content wherever and whenever, the Nielson ratings are beginning to dwindle in importance. The tracking of viewership data and content preferences is still very much an important area, however the question is whether or not the Nielson ratings can remain viable? If not, are there any more productive solutions to gathering audience data and viewing habits?
For starters, Nielsen is a company that specializes in media research and data trends. Nielson has their software installed into homes, where they proceed to record and share the data with major networks. The data that is shared with the networks is extremely beneficial to understanding their audiences' media engagement. According to Battaglio, “Nielsen relies on 40,000 homes nationwide that agree to have measurement equipment installed in their households to track their viewing habits. Nielsen uses the information from the so-called panel of homes to tabulate local and national TV ratings.” (Battaglio, 2021). This excerpt details the scope and process by which Nielson acquires viewership data.
The largest imposing threat on the Nielson ratings is the dramatic shift towards streaming platforms in recent years. Many households and individual viewers are making the switch to streaming services like Netflix and others. Better yet, many of those who haven’t completely dropped traditional cable television, still have a handful of streaming subscriptions as well. With this shift in audience’s media consumption, Nielson has had to alter their plan moving forward. They have decided to now gather viewership data on streaming, in addition to the cable data they were already acquiring. The Nielson company began 2021 with coverage of 10 streaming platforms, but by the end of the year they were servicing 17. (Battaglio,2021). Nielson themselves describe their streaming service coverage on their website, “Nielsen Streaming Platform Ratings uses people-powered panels and proprietary metering technology to measure what content is streamed, the device used to stream (smart TVs, connected devices, video game consoles), and the streaming source application.” (Nielson, 2021). Here audiences can see what streaming services and which devices will be monitored for their media consumption data. Luckily for Nielson, some services that are more fresh in the streaming field have agreed to utilize Nielson ratings. This is with the hopes that Nielson’s reputation and reliability over the years can help boost Youtube and Youtube Tv’s efficiency. (Battaglio)
Despite these promising new services putting their trust into Nielson, they are struggling to recover from the pandemic. The company’s services took a pretty big hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mostly in part due to the inability to meet with potential customers/clients in-person. There were a slew of large media companies that reported losing millions because they couldn’t analyze audience's new viewership tendencies. Steinberg went on to mention, “NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia and Univision have all solicited rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who are increasingly watching their TV favorites at times of their own choosing, usually via broadband technology. Nielsen is also grappling with a loss of accreditation for its national ratings service.” (Steinberg, 2021). This goes to show that several large media conglomerates were not only seeking out alternative options other than Nielson, but they believed that better options existed elsewhere. Nielson has continued to desperately attempt to stay up to date with the streaming era, as they have even announced the testing of new software to track viewership for events like the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl which will both be streamed on NBC’s Peacock platform.
In conclusion, Nielson has been a staple for years now in the media landscape. However, the question looms if they can stay relevant in the era of streaming. Companies are very much reliant on the data they provide in regards to viewership tendencies, however the future may be bleak if Nielson fails to stay on top of the rapidly altering streaming era.
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
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ReplyDeleteMadison Bopp
ReplyDeleteGiven the world of technology we currently live in, audiences have shifted in the ways they consume media related content. Nielsen, a media research company, is wrapped up in this digital change. Since 1950, Neilsen has essentially been the scorekeeper for the TV business (Battaglio, 2021). Nielsen is set up in households where they record and send information back to networks who depend on its audience measurement data. The real value of Nielsen is that they take great care in ensuring that their panel represents all demographics (Battaglio, 2021) Today, Nielsen ratings do still matter because they have adapted to this change in audience behavior.
The biggest new change was that media streaming platforms were on the rise. People were now consuming other forms of media rather than just television. Nielsen stepped up and started to measure streaming viewing habits as well (Battaglio, 2021). Half of their panel of homes now have streaming meters which track everything that comes in through the router. Nielsen started 2021 with 10 streaming platforms and now at the end of the year they service 17 (Battaglio, 2021).
However, the Covid-19 pandemic but a wrench in Neilsen’s ability to track new household viewing habits. Nielsen relies on 40,000 homes nationwide to obtain their data (Battaglio, 2021). They acknowledged that its ratings data had been less reliable during the pandemic because it was unable to recruit new panel members in person (Baine, 2022). Media companies that use Nielsen said that they lost millions in revenue as a result of them unable to record new household viewing habits. Battaglio wrote that this led major Nielsen customers such as NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS to consider competing services (2021). Hence, companies found that there are alternative ways to better track media usage. NBCUniversal in recent years has been the most vocal critic of Nielsen and their media research (Baine, 2022). NBCUniversal is testing an alternative service this month to track viewings of the Olympics and the Super Bowl (Battaglio, 2022). Battaglio wrote that the company announced they will be using data from iSpot.tv for these two major events (2022). NBCUniversal remains a client of Nielsen, yet this testing with iSpot.tv will be a high-profile effort to promote a viable competitor against Nielsen (Battaglio, 2022). ISpot.tv’s services were established in 2012 and are already used by half of the top 100 television and video advertisers (Battaglio, 2022). They are quickly becoming a strong alternative company to better track media usage.
Madison Bopp cont.
DeleteNevertheless, Nielsen will continue to push forward and be innovative in tracking media viewing habits. Specifically, Nielsen will be debuting a new ratings metric later this year called Nielsen One (Baine, 2022). Baine wrote that this will be a replacement for their current C3 rating metric (2022). It is critical that Nielsen makes improvements sooner rather than later. Many of their major clients are starting to experiment with competing ratings platforms and Nielsen must put a stop to this.
References:
Baine, D. (2022, January 12). Is covid-19 killing the Nielsen ratings cash cow? Forbes. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/derekbaine/2022/01/11/is-covid-19-killing-the-nielsen-ratings-cash-cow/?sh=51efa908169d
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal selects audience measurement alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528
Corinna Caimi
ReplyDeleteGiven the way audiences are shifting their viewing from traditional viewing to streaming, on their own time and on a multitude of devices, it seems the Nielsen ratings are beginning to decline in overall importance. This is not to be confused with saying that tracking overall viewership and habits lacks significance. Still, the long-standing measurement tool may not keep up with the times.
According to Steinberg, “NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia and Univision have all solicited rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who are increasingly watching their TV favorites at times of their own choosing, usually via broadband technology. Nielsen is also grappling with a loss of accreditation for its national ratings service,” which comes after the riff between the legacy media companies and Nielsen hit a breaking point during the pandemic. Legacy companies felt the TV viewership numbers were widely inaccurate and lost their faith.
However, some newer players, like YouTube, recently announced that they would be shifting to Neilsen ratings for the first time, hoping that the rating company’s ability to produce empirical data and trust with consumers will assist them (Battaglio).
With that, there has been a lot of debate between Neilsen and rival company Comscore. A representative for Neilsen argues that the big data-derived measurement tools being used by companies like Comscore are not being validated and that they cannot target U.S. population-representative samples the same way Neilsen does and always has (Poppie). Comscore, however, shot back that the RPD data comprises “more than 35 million households and 70 million devices across all 210 local markets” and aligns well with the population makeup (Vinson).
Corinna Caimi (2/2)
ReplyDeleteRegardless, other companies are getting into the business, and legacy media companies are picking up on it, according to Guthrie of the Hollywood Reporter. For example, Rentrak TV Essentials has an impressive sample size with over 30 million homes and Video-on-Demand viewing information from more than 117 million. Still, they can’t determine who precisely in the household is watching. Another possible contender is Cogent Reports, which has long provided research to financial companies but was picked up by NBCUniversal.
With the changing landscape of viewership, how companies have lost trust in Neilsen, and the other companies beginning to take shape in the space, it seems the Neilsen ratings may no longer be as essential as they were in the past. I personally believe that Neilsen was not prepared to adjust their model, and they now seem unwilling. Consumers don’t want to be tracked. They definitely don’t want to be bothered by having something installed in their homes specifically to do so. There has to be a better way for major companies to see how people are viewing their content without the hassle, inaccuracy, and underrepresentation, and not only is Neilsen not prepared to do those things, but it seems like no company is just yet.
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Guthrie, Marisa. “The Battle to Build a Better TV Ratings System: 6 Alternative Ways to Measure Viewing.” The Hollywood Reporter, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 May 2015, https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/battle-build-a-better-tv-794420/.
Poppie, Molly. “The Not-so-Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/the-not-so-hidden-problem-with-big-data-sets.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Vinson, Dr. Michael. “Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&utm_medium=email&utm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
Glenna Gobeil
ReplyDeleteThis week's readings highlight Nielsen’s weaknesses and strengths. In “Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets,” by Molly Poppie, the strengths of Nielsen’s data collection are evident as the company is able to collect more intricate data of the individual watching a specific program (1). Poppie says that Nielsen correctly matches data from each household and reports demographics and characteristics from them (1). Nielsen’s competitors would include companies that use large data sets. As Poppie’s article notes, the limitation with big data sets include the inability to understand the viewers demographics such as age, income, race, and ethnicity (1). The reasoning for this is due to the fact that big data sets are built around billing information or online behavior (1). From Poppie’s article, I can conclude that Nielsen provides a lot of useful information to advertisers such as providing information of the viewer’s identity as a way of understanding a potential consumer for a product or service. Unlike larger data sets, Nielsen is able to account for populations of people that are usually forgotten about in larger data sets such as younger audiences, Brown and Black people, and lower income people (Poppie 1). I think with the cost of advertising today, having the most detailed information on a potential consumer is necessary to provide some sort of indication that the ad is reaching the right targeted audience.
In “Nielsen and The Future of Measuring Television and Video Viewers,” Scott N. Brown, the GM of audience measurement at Nielsen, stresses the fact that companies, specifically in the streaming world, want to know specific details of viewers' habits (Adgate). He says that companies don’t just want to know who their viewers are but what else they are viewing and what they are not (Adgate). The most important point that Brown makes in his interview with Brad Adgate is how data of demographics and viewing behavior is essential to our current culture today and with our desire to be heard, seen and valued. I think that without data that can tell advertisers what is successful and what isn’t successful based on viewing habits it is impossible to create content for a particular group of people which is why Nielsen ratings still matter today.
Gobeil Cont'd:
ReplyDeleteHowever, the weaknesses with Nielsen’s model include the fact that they have a low-response rate and it only measures data from people that want to be a part of the data collection. Dr. Michael Vinson, Comscore’s Chief Research Officer, says that Nielsen can only account for viewing behavior and collect demographics on the participants they receive which eliminates data collection from the households that they don’t collect (1). The other alternatives or competitors of Nielsen include measuring TV usage from set top boxes from MVPDs and automated content recognition (ACR) usage from Smart TVs (Adgate). NBCUniversal is also assembling their own measurement solution that will create new competition for Nielsen as they are collecting the same information but in-house. Though Nielsen argues that larger data sets eliminate data of demographics, their data was criticized for being incorrect after they underreported TV usage because of faulty reporting from homes in their samples (Lafayette). For this reason, I believe that Nielsen data and their competitors are on an equal level of providing adequate information on consumer behavior. Both data sets have their weaknesses and strengths and I think NBCUniversal and Comscore could bring them down especially after their inaccurate data report. I would argue that there is great potential for media conglomerates to make their own data sets as they are able to collect information in the way that they want and measure what they find useful for their streaming platforms and content which Nielsen may not be able to keep up with.
Works Cited
Adgate, Brad. “Nielsen and the Future of Measuring Television and Video Viewers.” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 1 Oct. 2020, https://www.forbes.com/sites/bradadgate/2020/10/01/nielsen-and-the-future-of-measuring-television-and-video-viewers/?sh=2f4f64e5683c.
Lafayette, Jon. “Contradicting Nielsen, Comscore Says TV Use Didn't Fall in Pandemic.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 10 May 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/news/contradicting-nielsen-comscore-says-tv-use-didnt-fall-in-pandemic.
Vinson, Dr. Michael. “Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 21 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&utm_medium=email&utm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
Poppie, Molly. “The Not-so-Hidden Problem with Big Data Sets.” Broadcasting Cable, Broadcasting+Cable, 19 Oct. 2021, https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/the-not-so-hidden-problem-with-big-data-sets.
Olivia Kettell 1/2
ReplyDeleteFor more than 70 years, television network companies have looked towards Nielsen for their reports on data regarding TV viewership and trends. However, today the question is arising whether Nielsen can still be used in a time when TV is not the same as it once was. Despite Nielsen collecting data from 40,000 households across the country, because of new TV and streaming viewership habits brought about during the pandemic, the company has had a hard time putting out the same level of data it once did (Battaglio). Even in the new streaming era, Nielsen data is still relevant to media companies because they need to evaluate the effectiveness and reach of advertisements and content (Fischer).
Nielsen has been adjusting to the change, and the company has been able to note additional media consumption, such as YouTube viewing and podcast listening, had increased during the pandemic as well. Through their 40,000 panelists they can tell how viewers watch content and on which devices, all through their routers. Once streaming became more popular, Nielsen shifted their data analysis to viewership in amount of time spent, combining live TV and streaming material (Battaglio). Despite Nielsen’s adjustment, top media companies are panicking and some are even planning to start up their own data collection. WarnerMedia, NBCUniversal, and ViacomCBS have begun to consider how to obtain their own streaming and advertisement data (“WarnerMedia Plans…”). NBC is planning to use a new system right away for this year’s Olympics and Super Bowl (Fischer).
The pandemic complicated the system that has been in place since 1950, and Nielsen even lost their accreditation from the Media Rating Council after complications in reporting pandemic-era data which diminished their status in the media world (Steinberg). However, their data will still be the main source used in advertisement deals for now, although companies will start to consider data from additional research companies as well to prepare for the chance that Nielsen continues to lose credibility (Peterson). One marketing firm is choosing to go a different way and will begin to observe 22 million households daily on their own to gain insight into live TV and streaming, named the “605 Exchange” (“Marketing Analytics Firm 605…”).
Olivia Kettell 2/2
DeleteIn the eyes of advertisement companies who consider the data, they have been working with Nielsen for years and the deals made between companies also last for a set amount of time. What makes it difficult today is Nielsen’s recent switch in data collection and reporting which has left many companies unhappy (Peterson). However, if every media company became a source for their own data instead of having one overarching research company like Nielsen to report, there is potential for confusion and competition. Marketing and advertisement companies are already unsure of utilizing data obtained from the same companies who produce and distribute the content because of potential inaccuracy or bias (“Marketing Analytics Firm 605…”).
Despite issues in data collection at the very beginning of the pandemic, Nielsen has adapted to the change and can still obtain in-depth data from their panel of households that contains information on streaming and devices (Battaglio). Overall, personally I believe Nielsen is currently the best source for information because they have the sources and many years of expertise to put out data now and continue to develop better ways to do so in the future. Like Nielsen, everyone is still learning, and no one today really knows the streaming landscape better than anyone else.
Works Cited
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Fischer, Sara, and Kerry Flynn. “TV Networks Overhaul Measurement System amid Streaming Surge.” Axios, 18 Jan. 2022, https://www.axios.com/nielsen-measurement-streaming-efa7af81-2cad-4108-9c96-243148499246.html.
Peterson, Tim. “Advertisers, TV Networks Plan to Set Nielsen Alternatives as 'Shadow Currencies'.” Digiday, 31 Jan. 2022, https://digiday.com/future-of-tv/advertisers-tv-networks-plan-to-set-nielsen-alternatives-as-shadow-currencies-in-this-years-upfront-negotiations/.
Steinberg, Brian. “Marketing Analytics Firm 605 Plans Alternative to Nielsen Measurement.” Variety, Variety, 14 Dec. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/605-kristin-dolan-media-measurement-nielsen-1235132761/.
Steinberg, Brian. “WarnerMedia Plans to Launch Nielsen Measurement Alternative in 2022.” Variety, Variety, 19 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/warnermedia-nielsen-audience-measurement-alternative-1235115445/.
Jennifer Greene
ReplyDelete“The migration of TV viewers from the traditional experience of watching shows in linear fashion to new digital behaviors is taking place faster than anyone can track,” (Steinberg, 2021). With the change in consumer behavior in regards to television entertainment, there are certain aspects of the industry that need to change with it. Nielsen, known for tracking ratings, is at risk if they are unable to keep up with the evolving technology. However, I believe that Neilsen is on the path toward evolving with consumer behavior, and, although I do not think their ratings matter, the data they are collecting is invaluable. According to CEO of Neilsen, David Kenny, Nielsen has made many steps in the right direction. For example, on Dec. 6, 2020, Nielsen made the move to tracking time spent viewing and combining streaming and linear measurement as well as being able to track everything that comes through the home’s router, so they can gather data on multiple screens using different services (streaming or otherwise), (Battaglio, 2021). With this new approach Kenny states, “the advertiser will not just know what the program rating was, but they will know how many people saw their ad for its entirety,” which is undeniably important data since attention span for advertisements is declining, in my opinion. Regardless if these steps are taking place, can Neilsen adapt as quickly as competitors? For example, Comscore, Inc. utilizes data from millions of cable set-top boxes rather than Neilsen’s 40,000 household-panel, which gives them an advantage via larger sample size, (Bruell, 2021). TV companies are also investing in their own measurement products, according to The Wall Street Journal, but that leaves the question of who will advertisers trust to buy/use the data. The Media Rating Council, “the media industry’s measurement watchdog,” suspended Neilsen’s accreditation in September of 2021, which will be the first time the company is not accredited since the 1960s, (Bruell, 2021).
Jennifer Greene Pt 2
ReplyDeleteThis poses a huge risk for the company as it leaves the top spot open for other competitors. But, Kenny, CEO of Neilsen, believes that no other company is in the position to do what Neilsen does, and media executives agree with him. The Wall Street Journal writes, “Even if buyers and sellers of ads have complaints about Neilsen, for now, dropping the company is a pipe dream for many because of its size and clout, media executives said,” validating Kenny’s point that Neilsen is still in the game. Nielsen still may be the most trusted, even after losing accreditation, but are they proving themselves to be the most valuable? Honestly, I’m not sure. Many companies are looking to develop alternative metrics that would collect data from both traditional TV and streaming services, but it appears that those metrics are still being developed, and no one is definitely ahead in terms of implementing these strategies. To recap, I believe that Neilsen is still number one when it comes to ratings, or time-viewing stats, but it is in a precarious situation if it wants to continue being the legacy it is. The two major threats to Neilsen are competitors developing metrics faster and being unable to evolve parallel to consumer behavior. So, does Neilsen still matter? Of course, it does, but that does not mean it’s future is certain.
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Its chief executive responds. - Los Angeles Times. Los Angeles Times; Los Angeles Times. https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Bruell, A. (2021, September 7). Nielsen’s Grip Over TV Ratings Loosens Amid Streaming Boom - WSJ. WSJ; The Wall Street Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/nielsens-grip-over-tv-ratings-loosens-amid-streaming-boom-11631007002
Steinberg, B. (2021, November 22). Nielsen Plans Overhaul in 2022 for TV’s Commercial Ratings - Variety. Variety; Variety. https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7
Paul Logue
ReplyDeleteBlog 2
Part 1
I personally don’t think Nielsen ratings hold as much importance as they once did. Not to say they aren’t still important; I just don’t think they are as important. It’s impossible to know who is actually watching something unless you are in the room with them. You can’t tell who is on their phone while the commercials play or if the TV is left on while someone is asleep. We live in such a different age where I think it’s impossible to tell who is watching, but TV companies rely on Nielsen to provide a good idea. Nielsen has 40,000 homes in the country that they use to track viewing habits, (Battaglio). Throughout the pandemic it was very difficult for them to maintain that number. This makes me a little skeptical about how accurate the ratings truly are. I do think it’s good for Nielsen to track streaming as that has become such an important part of the television industry and is only getting bigger. Many TV executives were not happy after the pandemic about potential undercounting their programing. It’s estimated that Nielsen undercounted total television use by as much as 6 percent, (Hsu). I just think it’s difficult to trust one ratings company for everything especially knowing that it may not be totally accurate. You also have to factor in the people who have Nielsen in their home want to have Nielsen in the home. This again results under coverage and potentially a little bias. In 2010, the total homes with televisions totaled 116 million, (Hsu). 40,000 Nielsen homes is a very small percentage of that. Also, when you have big time TV executives not happy, you are going to start to see more and more companies do their own tracking or find others, and they already have started.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteWarnerMedia and NBCUniversal have already started to track their own ratings. These companies are already paying Nielsen millions of dollars a year and aren’t happy with their service. When the other companies start to find other venders, they are happy with, then Nielsen could be in trouble. WarnerMedia is in the process of reaching out to 10 to 15 different measurement rating services, (Steinberg). They are searching for an alternative. I think the opportunity is there for others to come into play in the industry. Nielsen has dominated this space for decades and I think eventually others will catch up. I don’t know that there are better ways to do this kind of thing. I feel as though people have become very conscious about data usage and many might not want Nielsen or other companies in their homes tracking what they watch. Also, like I mentioned before, you really can’t tell who exactly is watching. These companies can have an idea, which is important, but there’s know way of telling exact. It’s just a matter of time before other measurement vendors catch up to Nielsen.
Works Cited
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count In the Streaming Age?” 13 Dec. 2021.
Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html.
Steinberg, Brian. “WarnerMedia Plans to Launch Nielsen Measurement Alternative in 2022.” 18 Nov. 2021.
Lachie Harvey
ReplyDeletePt.1
In today’s media climate, television ratings are not as important as they used to be. Shows are, for the most part, far easier to predict, as big budget shows developed by big budget studios have erupted into prominence and consistently see success. So, realistically, just considering that fact alone, Nielsen’s ratings don’t matter. But there is more to it than this. First thing that has to be considered is just how little of a sample size of the media market Nielsen’s ratings capture. According to the Los Angeles Times, Nielsen’s ratings come from “40,000 homes nationwide”. This does not represent the country’s entire viewer pool at all. According to statista, the average household has 10 “connected devices”, the majority of which can view media content, whether that be standard television or streaming. This equates to a baffling figure which 40,000 can’t hope to tap into. You could very easily have 20,000 of those 40,000 located in the northeast, watching a show that isn’t being viewed by anyone in the south, central and western states. You could also have 2,000 viewers who emphatically watch hours of a show, bumping up the show's individual numbers and skewing the data higher than it should be on average. There is also the issue of the recent upgrades in streaming. If 5,000 users don’t purchase a new streaming service due to being outside the age demographic or a lack of exposure, it can limit how much of an impact the service is observed to have as a whole. Finally there is the issue of Nielsen being limited to the US. With every large media conglomerate striving to go global, Nielsen will be even less relevant as time goes by without following suit and looking overseas.
Lachie Harvey
DeletePt.2
So what is the solution? Media companies have to start looking to gain data through alternative sources. For true data, that means dealing with streaming services and TV providers directly. If Nielsen is to keep up, this means working with these companies to get a larger pool of users from different streaming platforms located in different places across the globe. But to bring it back to my first point, ultimately, this is slowly all becoming irrelevant for the most viewed content. Every so often hit shows like Squid Game and Money Heist will come along but they will soon be fully overtaken. Perth Now showcased the numbers for the most viewed shows of 2021 and four of the top 10 are from previously established content and have long standing fanbases. This will increase overtime with the release of new major budget shows every year, leaving data to track only the second rate shows. These second rate shows will have to sustain Nielsen and other ratings companies for the foreseeable future.
Sources:
DeleteBattaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Vailshery, L. S. (2021, January 22). Average Number of Connected Devices in U.S. 2020. Statista. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107206/average-number-of-connected-devices-us-house/
McKenna, S. (2022, January 3). The 21 most watched TV shows of 2021. PerthNow. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-21-most-watched-tv-shows-of-2021-c-5168226
Sources:
ReplyDeleteBattaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at Nielsen. Can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Vailshery, L. S. (2021, January 22). Average Number of Connected Devices in U.S. 2020. Statista. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1107206/average-number-of-connected-devices-us-house/
McKenna, S. (2022, January 3). The 21 most watched TV shows of 2021. PerthNow. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.perthnow.com.au/entertainment/tv/the-21-most-watched-tv-shows-of-2021-c-5168226
Jacob Resnick
ReplyDeleteTechnology has made indescribable advances in recent years and decades. That is particularly evident in the media, where consumers can watch their favorite television shows at any time on a multitude of devices. Not too long ago, watching TV required sitting down at a specific time. If you missed it, you were short on luck. Despite these advances, seemingly simple things still elude the industry. For example, Nielsen, the decades-long industry standard for data on media consumption, has essentially been making educated guesses of how many people watch individual television ads for the last 15 years (Steinberg). When hundreds of millions of dollars are at play when it comes to paying for this service and negotiations between advertisers and media companies, estimates simply are not enough anymore.
This realization was exacerbated, as many things were, by the pandemic, when its base of 40,000 homes that use measurement devices from which the final data is extrapolated was disrupted. “The COVID-19 pandemic limited Nielsen’s ability to maintain that number, and media companies say they have lost millions in ad revenue as a result” (Battaglio). But it’s clear that the pandemic trends weren’t solely based on the virus alone. Streaming, which has altered traditional TV viewing habits, has been climbing in recent years and is in the middle of an explosion.
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI would argue that the tracking of social media trends and metrics are just as important if not more so than television analytics. As previously mentioned, media consumption is no longer black and white and that’s proven further by discrepancies in published ratings by companies like Netflix. What counts as a “viewer” through one lens might not be the same through another. Social media allows people to tailor what they see to their interests. When it comes to media, they can follow their favorite shows and actors and interact with people that share similar interests. For example, brand awareness is a commonly-tracked social media concept. “Building brand awareness helps audiences to recognize, recall, and relate to your business. It sets in motion a series of steps that take people from curious strangers to satisfied customers” (Walgrove).
DeleteAdmitting that past practices are not suited for the future of the media landscape is very important. The way our society is built, Nielsen’s executives would be shamed for overseeing the company’s downfall. The ability to adapt is important but more so is the willingness to completely tear up what has worked in the past and take risks based on investments in data. Given recent trends, I wouldn’t be surprised if Nielsen is purchased by a conglomerate like Amazon or Google that can use its seemingly unlimited resources to shake up the content measurement game.
Works Cited
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/.
Walgrove, Amanda. “How to Measure Brand Awareness: Metrics, Tools, and Kpis.” Taboola Blog, 31 Mar. 2020, https://blog.taboola.com/how-to-measure-brand-awareness/.
Jody Gallinger
ReplyDeleteAs we have seen throughout the past few years, there has been a major shift in how audiences consume media. Nielsen media research company has been the scorekeeper for the TV business since 1950. Many networks depend on Nielsen’s audience measurement data (Battaglio). As we know, during the COVID-19 pandemic many TV networks saw a huge decrease in their viewing numbers. Nielsen struggled a lot during this time, as they lost millions in ad revenue since they could not maintain tracking viewing habits and TV ratings (Battaglio). Streaming has increased a lot since the pandemic. There are a growing number of platforms with lots of different content to accesses from it. Other media platforms also become popular such as YouTube and podcasting (Battaglio). Not many people were interested in watching live TV.
About half of the homes currently have streaming meters and over the next year all homes will have them. This is a different metric measuring than they have seen before (Battaglio). Many streaming platforms have their own data to measure their streaming. They can see how many people are watching something and when they are watching. However, they can’t track what people are watching when they are not using their streaming service (Battaglio). With the streaming wars going on today, many people tend to have multiple different streaming subscriptions. In the beginning of 2021, there were 10 platforms, and we currently have 17 (Battaglio). It is very important for companies to be able to know this information.
NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia, and Univision have all had rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who watch TV on their own time. They use a broadband technology to do this (Steinburg). However, Nielsen is also working on technology enhancement that will help meet the media industries’ changing needs. They plan on using linear and digital venues to measure data (Steinburg). This will likely put Nielsen in a race with other media companies to see who can develop a new working system. Other networks are trying to create something that can be used for these new modern audience behaviors (Steinburg). Both Nielsen and other companies know that the switch from the traditional way of watching TV and movies to the new digital streaming way, is happening a lot faster than anyone thought or tracked.
Overall, Nielsen ratings do still matter. Streaming companies do have their own way to track data throughout their platform, but like mentioned earlier they do not have a way to see what other streaming platform people are using or watching. This could be very helpful and crucial for many companies to know who their main competitor is. They could see the area and demographic in which most people are switching to other platforms. These alternative ways to track media usage that networks have created work well specifically for the network, but not overall across the market. Nielsen is able to track audience behavior in a better way.
Works Cited:
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age?” Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Kaitlyn Reilly
ReplyDeleteNielsen, a media research company, has consistently been tracking audience measurement since 2007 (Steinberg, 2021). Although, with the way media operates today, Nielsen's notorious ratings have become inconsistent leaving advertisers frustrated. Measuring audiences is not just vital but it's competitive. Since the pandemic, Nielsen’s home panels to track TV ratings have impacted the company's status in the media sphere. Resulting in inaccurate data and ultimately loss of ad revenue (Battaglio, 2021). With the rise of streaming and consumption of other forms of media, Nielsen has adjusted to track the consumption of users watching TV on mobile devices and tablets. In the past, networks have shelled out millions to Nielsen to obtain audience data from television programming and advertisements (Steinberg, 2021).
When it comes to experience, consistency, and hierarchy with data metrics, Nielsen comes top of mind. Although several alternative ways can accurately track media usage. NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia, and Univision have all obtained rival vendors to help create new, accurate ways to measure audiences through broadband technology (Steinberg, 2021). During the pandemic, Nielsen fastened its seatbelt in preparation for downfall when it announced that television viewing was going down in 2020 (Vinson, 2021). On the contrary, Comscore, a company using big data, contradicted Nielsen that TV consumption increased. Comscore’s alternative approach to measuring data deals with utilizing a large scale of return-path data whereas Nielsen still uses small panels to obtain their data (Vinson, 2021). Since this detrimental mistake, Nielsen’s accreditation was removed from the Media Rating Council (Lafayette, 2021). This sparks hesitancy in skeptical marketers and advertisers when it comes to obtaining the accuracy of their viewing metrics.
Nielsen ratings are still informative but not up to date with the course modern technology is taking. Nielsen has hope that the company can keep up with the way the industry is changing, however, they have some competition. Chief executive of Nielsen, David Kenny doesn’t seem too concerned about the rivalry between other companies now tracking their own media usage data impacting Nielsen. Kenny believes that no other company has the scale, ability, empirical evidence, or trust factor to make a large enough investment to track data as Nielsen has for years (Battaglio, 2021).
Fingers crossed that Nielsen will prevail out of this pandemic hole they’ve dug themselves into. Currently, Nielsen’s ratings have little to no strength as they used to in the past. Media measurement requires larger sets of data with descriptive demographics/behavior traits of audience members. It prompts the question: Are advertisers becoming too specific or is this just the way modern tech is presumed to run its course in the future? In the broad scheme of things, media consumers don’t watch television as they had in the past. With streaming available on different devices and our disdain for swarming advertisements, it's going to be difficult for our digital actions to be measured. The companies that prevail will be the ones who can keep up with the major transitions in the way users utilize technology in the future.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
Battaglio, Stephen (2021, December 13). TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Can That Company Still Count in the Streaming Age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Lafayette, Jon (2021, September 1). Nielsen National TV Ratings Service Accreditation Suspended by MRC. Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nexttv.com/news/nielsen-national-tv-ratings-service-accreditation-suspended-by-mrc.
Steinberg, Brian (2021, November 22). Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads. Variety. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
Vinson, Dr. Michael (2021, October 21). Setting the Record Straight about Modern Media Measurement. Broadcasting+Cable. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nexttv.com/blogs/setting-the-record-straight-about-modern-media-measurement?utm_campaign=US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS&%3Butm_medium=email&%3Butm_source=comscore_elq_US_US_NOV2021_NL_TV_PROSPECTS.
Fleur Cordier
ReplyDeleteNielson is a New York City-based media research company that has been the scorekeeper for the TV business since 1950 (Battaglio, 2021). Nielsen relies on 40.000 households to measure their viewing habits. The company uses the data to distribute TV ratings. However, since the pandemic Nielsen’s data was limited. As a result of that, big media companies have lost millions in ad revenue as a result (Battaglio, 2021). Tiffany Hsu is claiming that their shows have more viewers than they get credit for, so the data is not accurate (Hsu, 2021). NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS, who are major Nielsen customers, are considering competing services. David Kenny, chief executive of Nielsen, had an interview with The New York Times and said that because of the pandemic they were not able to visit Nielsen panelist homes face to face, and that hurt the company. Tiffany Hsu said that the pandemic threw Nielsen into a crisis because millions of people working from home, and there were complaints that Nielsen’s numbers were low (Hsu, 2021).
NBCUniversal is testing an alternative service in February 2022 to track the viewing data of the Olympics and the Super Bowl (Battaglio, 2022). The company is called iSpot.tv, it is a Bellevue, Washington-based company. However, the interesting part is that NBCUniversal stays a Nielsen client. Kelly Abcarian said that “This is not a shift away from one panel-based system to another, but a definitive step toward embracing the metrics brands already use to evaluate media companies,” (Battaglio, 2022.) Furthermore, David Zaslav, the chief executive of Discovery, said that “I don’t have a lot of hope for Nielsen” (Hsu, 2021). He continued that “I think somehow, as an industry, we’re just going to have to work our way out of it from a technology perspective and leave them in the dust” (Hsu, 2021). It shows that their clients do not have a lot of faith in Nielsen in the future.
I do think the Nielsen rating still matters. David Kanny explained that Nielsen will have all of the panel streaming meters over next year, the data will be more secure because people are watching TV on phones and tablets as well (Battaglio, 2021). Also, YouTube announced that they are going to measure all of YouTube’s data on Nielsen ratings, and YouTube is a big newcomer for them. I think that is what they needed after having a rough two years because of the pandemic. So, there are alternative ways to track media usage, like NBCUniversal is doing now with iSpot.tv, but is it going to be better than Nielsen? I still think Nielsen is the best company to track media usage. However, they have to stay on top of their game because competitions are growing for them.
Works Cited
ReplyDeleteBattaglio, Stephen. “NBCUniversal Selects Audience Measurement Alternative to Nielsen.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Jan. 2022, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528.
Battaglio, Stephen. “TV Networks Are Mad at Nielsen. Its Chief Executive Responds.” Los Angeles Times, 13 Dec. 2021, www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny.
Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html.
With consumer media seeing a heavy switch from platforms such as cable television to streaming services, questions regarding the technology being used to measure audience exposure are being brought to light. While networks pay Neilson millions of dollars yearly to gain its audience data, the pandemic has made the companies skeptical of Neilson’s efforts. Neilson has recently announced that they are coming up with new ways to measure their audiences, many networks are still wary to continue using Neilson after they believed the company was able to inaccurately record viewership. Neilson is urging networks to continue using their efforts, but it is being questioned whether or not their ratings will even matter in the future. One of their biggest challenges is that “the notion of a single viewer sitting through the same commercial break as every other person watching a particular video selection has quickly become relegated to the past,” (Steinberg 2021). However, Neilson is not worried about networks hiring their competitors because they believe that no other company will be able to achieve the level of success that they have already achieved. Their ratings also matter because not every family comes from the same background and there is a large demographic that is not able to afford streaming services or multiple devices to watch television on. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Neilson’s chief executive, Danny Kenny, stated, “People who are really living paycheck to paycheck can’t afford or don’t have access to all the same technology. Rural communities don’t always even have broadband,” (Battalgio 2021). They are also adapting to the changes in how audiences consume their media. In the same interview, Kenny spoke about how after Neilson began releasing streaming data in 2017, it made their company “more relevant.” However, not everyone seems to think that Neilson will be able to live up to the challenge of adapting to our society’s quickly changing media. Chief executive of Discover, David Zaslav, stated, “I don’t have a lot of hope for Neilson. I think somehow, as an industry, we’re just going to have to work our way out of it from a technology perspective and leave them in the dust,” (Hsu 2021). Only time will tell whether or not Neilson will come out as triumphant. As for alternative ways to better track media usage, I think that Neilson is doing all that they can to keep up with the quickly changing times. As long as they continue to earn trust from both the networks and from the households that they track, I think Neilson will continue to stay relevant.
ReplyDeleteWorks Cited:
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Hsu, Tiffany. “Now TV Wants Nielsen to Measure Up.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 12 Nov. 2021, https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/12/business/media/nbcuniversal-nielsen-tv-alternatives.html.
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.
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ReplyDeleteKyra Moos
ReplyDeleteThe ways in which audiences consume media have changed drastically over the course of the past ten years. My own habits have changed when it comes to watching media on television especially. Where I once used to sit on the couch and watch cable television, I now go to the internet and stream shows or movies on Netflix or, more commonly, consume media on social media. Nielsen has been the go-to for media companies when it comes to user media usage. Neilsen has positioned itself as one of the largest and most accredited companies for television ratings and usage. Nielsen collects data from measurement equipment placed in the homes of over 40,000 Americans, however, the COVID-19 pandemic drastically affected Neilsen’s ability to set up this equipment in viewers’ homes (Battaglio, 2021). Many media companies began to notice Neilsen’s errors, undercounting, and outdated ways. Undercounting one group of viewers could cost advertisers millions of dollars in potential advertising space. One article by Comscore showcases Nielsen’s weaknesses in the “new world” and positions themselves to be more experienced in media measurement (Vinson, 2021).
With these changes taking place within technology daily, I believe that Nielsen’s ways of measuring have proven to be outdated and they need to make room for a more modern way of doing so. Nielsen was slow to even recognize streaming services as they only made the adjustment in their data in December of 2020. This adjustment tracked viewers' time spent watching but did not differentiate streaming, live, or DVR (Battaglio, 2021). As Vinson explained, the shift in distribution platforms and advertising requires modern thinking, modern data, and modern technology (2021).
Due to how outdated Nielsen’s measurements are, with the ability to only track small panels which are often unreliable, I feel that their ratings from the past two years should be taken with a grain of salt. Other rating companies such as Comscore, are collecting data more wide-scale, claiming to be in one-third of American homes as well as working with advertising companies (Vison, 2021). This wide-scale measurement method is far more inclusive and will produce more accurate results. I don’t believe that Neilsen should have the monopoly-like platform they have currently. However, they are still a large company with a lot of accreditation, if Nielsen can handle this crisis effectively, by owning up to their flaws and making serious changes, their ratings will continue to be of importance. Other media companies feel the same way, such as NBC and WarnerMedia who have both chosen other options to Neilsen. Making this choice allows these companies to focus their attention on streaming services. However, NBC is still signed with Nielsen, showing that their data still matters (Battaglio, 2022).
DeleteWorks Cited
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal selects audience measurement alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528
Stephen Battaglio, S. (2022, January 13). NBCUniversal Selects Audience Measurement Alternative to Nielsen. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2022-01-13/nbcuniversal-selects-audience-measurement-alternative-to-nielsen?utm_id=46862&sfmc_id=4782528
ReplyDeleteAnnie Morrison
With streaming being the prominent way that people now consume media, are Nielsen ratings still relevant? Nielsen ratings have been noticeable in the past, showing what audiences were exposed to content and advertising (Nielsen). There are many subscription services that do not use traditional advertising, including Netflix and other premium ad free options such as Hulu and HBO Max. It raises the question of if these ratings even matter anymore. Why would Nielsen still be a significant part of media if media participants are no longer viewing ads like they used to? However, there are also streaming options that have ads throughout shows, as mentioned above, Hulu and HBO Max both have subscriptions that cost less, but still include ads in their content. Many subscribers are willing to pay less and watch a few ads rather than pay more for no ads at all. This could show that Nielsen could still be vital for media in order to see who is watching ads, and it may even answer the question of why. Although ads are not as blatantly seen as they have been in the past, media is using ads in different, perhaps more calculated ways. In the early days of television, there was no such thing as commercials, but rather shows were sponsored by different organizations, like Texaco and Carnation Milk. For example, the Netflix Original, Stranger Things used an outrageous amount of product placement within their production, especially in later seasons. Although it is not the advertising we are used to, it can still be incredibly effective.
Although Neilson could potentially still be relevant on some platforms mentioned above, like HBO and Hulu, it is not very relevant when it comes to streaming for the premium options, or platforms without ads like Netflix. This is where we may see changes in how media is tracked. Streaming services could potentially start their own technology to track media usage to share with companies that use advertising on platforms, but this could be challenging without a third party because streaming services may be tempted to inflate how many people are viewing ads in order to get more money from advertisers. Additionally, shows could be individually sponsored by brands, but that would give the platform less control over the content, which some people may disagree with. Next, product placement could be used, because every time someone watches a show or movie, the product will be seen within the show. Moreover, each platform has algorithms to show how long, and how often their subscribers use their platform. It is complicated because Nielsen could potentially still track subscription services but they may need to change their programming and make it different for particular platforms because they all operate somewhat differently.
Nielsen TV Ratings. Nielsen. (n.d.). Retrieved February 8, 2022, from https://www.nielsen.com/us/en/solutions/measurement/television/
Nick Federico
ReplyDeletePart 1
In today’s day in age, audiences have begun to shift in how they choose to view media content. Fading into the past are the times of cable’s dominance in the media landscape, as handfuls of streaming platforms have appeared. With the introduction of these streaming platforms and viewers' ability to watch their favorite content wherever and whenever, the Nielson ratings are beginning to dwindle in importance. The tracking of viewership data and content preferences is still very much an important area, however the question is whether or not the Nielson ratings can remain viable? If not, are there any more productive solutions to gathering audience data and viewing habits?
For starters, Nielsen is a company that specializes in media research and data trends. Nielson has their software installed into homes, where they proceed to record and share the data with major networks. The data that is shared with the networks is extremely beneficial to understanding their audiences' media engagement. According to Battaglio, “Nielsen relies on 40,000 homes nationwide that agree to have measurement equipment installed in their households to track their viewing habits. Nielsen uses the information from the so-called panel of homes to tabulate local and national TV ratings.” (Battaglio, 2021). This excerpt details the scope and process by which Nielson acquires viewership data.
The largest imposing threat on the Nielson ratings is the dramatic shift towards streaming platforms in recent years. Many households and individual viewers are making the switch to streaming services like Netflix and others. Better yet, many of those who haven’t completely dropped traditional cable television, still have a handful of streaming subscriptions as well. With this shift in audience’s media consumption, Nielson has had to alter their plan moving forward. They have decided to now gather viewership data on streaming, in addition to the cable data they were already acquiring. The Nielson company began 2021 with coverage of 10 streaming platforms, but by the end of the year they were servicing 17. (Battaglio,2021). Nielson themselves describe their streaming service coverage on their website, “Nielsen Streaming Platform Ratings uses people-powered panels and proprietary metering technology to measure what content is streamed, the device used to stream (smart TVs, connected devices, video game consoles), and the streaming source application.” (Nielson, 2021). Here audiences can see what streaming services and which devices will be monitored for their media consumption data. Luckily for Nielson, some services that are more fresh in the streaming field have agreed to utilize Nielson ratings. This is with the hopes that Nielson’s reputation and reliability over the years can help boost Youtube and Youtube Tv’s efficiency. (Battaglio)
DeleteDespite these promising new services putting their trust into Nielson, they are struggling to recover from the pandemic. The company’s services took a pretty big hit due to the Covid-19 pandemic, mostly in part due to the inability to meet with potential customers/clients in-person. There were a slew of large media companies that reported losing millions because they couldn’t analyze audience's new viewership tendencies. Steinberg went on to mention, “NBCUniversal, ViacomCBS, WarnerMedia and Univision have all solicited rival vendors to help create new ways to measure audiences who are increasingly watching their TV favorites at times of their own choosing, usually via broadband technology. Nielsen is also grappling with a loss of accreditation for its national ratings service.” (Steinberg, 2021). This goes to show that several large media conglomerates were not only seeking out alternative options other than Nielson, but they believed that better options existed elsewhere. Nielson has continued to desperately attempt to stay up to date with the streaming era, as they have even announced the testing of new software to track viewership for events like the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics and the Super Bowl which will both be streamed on NBC’s Peacock platform.
In conclusion, Nielson has been a staple for years now in the media landscape. However, the question looms if they can stay relevant in the era of streaming. Companies are very much reliant on the data they provide in regards to viewership tendencies, however the future may be bleak if Nielson fails to stay on top of the rapidly altering streaming era.
Works Cited:
“Streaming Platform Ratings.” Nielsen, 28 Jan. 2022, https://global.nielsen.com/global/en/solutions/audience-measurement/streaming-platform-ratings/.
Battaglio, S. (2021, December 13). TV networks are mad at nielsen. can that company still count in the streaming age? Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 6, 2022, from https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/business/story/2021-12-13/nielsen-tv-ratings-streaming-nbc-david-kenny
Steinberg, Brian. “Nielsen Plans Overhaul for Commercial Ratings, Will Track Viewers for Specific Ads.” Variety, Variety, 22 Nov. 2021, https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/nielsen-tv-commercial-ratings-overhaul-viewers-streaming-1235116960/#recipient_hashed=62dfc0b27ad1de67d64a0c44fb55f17fe8a7cd610e9d3f50edf2cced899812f7.