New audience segments can be based on any combination of attributes, including in-store and online credit/debit transactions (big-box store shoppers); psychographics, (pet owners); and loyalty-card data of consumer products (laundry-detergent buyers).

Nielsen says its tool allows media owners and marketers to more accurately forecast inventory for a precise target across all nationally measured television networks.

The new tool comes from a collaboration between Nielsen and clypd, the audience-based automated TV ad platform company.

In addition to supporting custom ad-defined segments, the tool will offer more than 80 predefined audience segments curated by the new Advanced Target Standards Group for consumer products, automotive, finance,and telecom marketers. It will provide insights into addressable inventory on all measured national TV networks.

Beginning last year, new TV ad consortiums have begun to identify and standardize new audience segments. Last March, TV network companies, Fox Networks Group, Turner and Viacom, created OpenAP.