In a surprising role reversal, Nielsen is spinning a new program ratings service off based on the same methodology developed for measuring online advertising campaigns. The new service, dubbed
Nielsen DIgital Program Ratings, is based on the methods Nielsen developed for its Online Campaign Ratings (OCR) service. It’s a case of role reversal, because historically, Nielsen developed
program ratings, and retrofitted them for campaign ratings after the fact, the way it has with the current C3 standard for the national TV marketplace.
Nielsen calls the
new service a “pilot program,” and says it will measure audiences for TV content viewed online for A+E, ABC, AOL, CBS, The CW, Discovery Communications, FOX, NBC, and Univision beginning
in May and running through July.