• by Alex Weprin , January 15, 2019

Viamedia, the local and video and digital advertising platform, has signed an expanded deal with measurement firm Comscore, making it the exclusive TV currency in 72 out of 73 of the company’s local markets.

Viamedia has exclusive cable TV ad inventory from more than 60 distributors spread across 34 states, along with OTT, mobile, and display ad options.

The deal is a notable one for Comscore, which has been trying to seize TV market share from Nielsen in recent years.

Over the past few months, Comscore has signed deals with Nexstar, Gray Television and E.W. Scripps Company to serve as a currency in their local markets.

The Viamedia deal builds on those deals, expanding Comscore’s local reach.

At the heart of these deals -- and of the friction between Nielsen and many TV companies -- is cross-platform measurement.

Measuring TV viewership across platforms has been a significant technical challenge. Both Comscore -- through its Campaign Ratings beta -- and Nielsen -- through its Total Ad Ratings -- are hoping to solve those problems and become a true cross-platform currency.