Comcast said it signed a multi-year data license renewal with Nielsen that will expand the ratings firm’s access to return-path data about TV usage from millions of cable subscribers’ homes.
Nielsen will increase its use of Comcast data in its Nielsen One measurement system and broaden its use for local-TV measurement in the 94 markets the two companies share.
The agreement does not affect the use of NIelsen ratings by Comcast’s NBCUniversal unit. NBCU has been critical of Nielsen and among the leaders in promoting the use of multiple currencies for buying and selling advertising.
NIelsen, which has dominated the TV ratings business, has been challenged lately by companies looking to use big data from set-top boxes and smart TV to measure audiences.
Nielsen One is designed to incorporate big data as well as the viewing information it gets from its meters in its panel of Nielsen households. But there have been numerous delays in getting Nielsen’s big data products into the marketplace.
Also Read: Nielsen Says Panel-Only Is Its Upfront Currency, But It Will Enable Transactions on Big Data
The new Comcast agreement gives Nielsen more return-path data to use alongside its panel data. Nielsen will now have viewing information coping from set-top boxes, smart TVs and other devices in nearly 45 million households,
The companies expect that Nielsen products using the expanded Comcast data will be introduced into the market by 2024.
“We are delighted to extend our strategic partnership with Comcast allowing us to continue to embrace the power of big data for our services both locally across nearly 100 markets and nationally with addressable measurement," Nielsen CEO of audience measurement Karthik Rao said. "This agreement dually reinforces the importance big data plays in our work and Nielsen’s deep commitment to delivering accurate measurement that helps our clients make informed decisions in an increasingly complex media landscape."
Comcast also licenses its return-path data to measurement companies including Comscore and VideoAmp.
Last year, Comcast made a deal to use viewing data from Comscore to sell local cable ads.
“Measurement is one of the foremost, complex and dynamic topics in TV advertising today and in order to continue to move the needle forward on progress and change, we need to work together to address, reconcile and resolve current industry challenges on this front,” Comcast Advertising managing director Marcien Jenckes said. “Our announcement with Nielsen today is the latest proof point and step forward in that journey and we look forward to more continued momentum and innovation in the future.”
