• by Jack Loechner , Staff Writer @mp_research, July 27, 2018

 Jon Lafayette notes, in a recent released, comprehensive report, in its battle with digital competitors, TV networks are turning to analytics startups who turn big data into a clearer picture of who’s watching, and what viewers are buying. A wave of data has launched a flotilla of new research and analytics companies that aim to provide new information and insights about television viewing.

 Challenged by digital competitors, and concerned that shrinking ratings, stagnant ad revenue, and cord-cutting will reduce pay TV subscriptions, programming networks appear eager to learn about changing consumer behavior. Networks are also thirsting for data that proves what most marketers already believe: TV advertising is effective both in building brands and generating sales.

 While some of the digital giants have been providing ad clients with their own research on how many people they reach, marketers are increasingly skeptical about this data, TV networks are accustomed to getting numbers from third parties in order to avoid the charge that they’re grading their own homework.

 Radha Subramanyam, CBS executive VP, chief research and analytics officer,

said she has a spreadsheet on her desk that lists 27 companies the network is in discussions with about providing attribution metrics. “It’s a great, wonderful, fruitful time to be a researcher because we really literally have never had so much data,” Subramanyam said.

 Some of these new firms see themselves as partners with Nielsen. Others see themselves as competitors. Please find the complete report hereas new firms’ analytic, attribution schemes offer fresh insights to clients.digital