• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, December 8, 2020

Nielsen has announced plans to launch a single cross-media measurement solution, spanning traditional linear TV and digital video platforms and devices.

The plan calls for fully transitioning to the new Nielsen One system — superseding the long-dominant C3/C7 linear TV ratings and Nielsen’s current digital media measurement solutions — by fall 2024. 

The company says it is simplifying its TV and digital solutions portfolio into a single, comparable cross-media product that can provide reach and frequency metrics.  

Nielsen says it will start releasing parallel cross-media ratings that deliver a holistic, deduplicated view at sub-minute intervals for individual ads and content, across platforms, devices and ad models — along with “expansive” campaign reporting — in Q4 2022.  

The solution will be based on Nielsen’s panels, but enhanced with cross-platform data from partners including Amazon, Google/YouTube, Hulu, Roku and Vizio, Scott Brown, Nielsen’s general manager of audience measurement, told TechCrunch. 

Nielsen says it's working to unify its panels and meters into a single-source, geographically representative panel that can gather viewing across devices, including TV, CTV, mobile and computers. That Nielsen One panel will underpin a new ID resolution system for validating audiences and deduplicating exposures across ads and content, planned for a Q1 2021 launch, which was announced last month. 

Nielsen reports that it is also developing a unified, cloud-based platform that allows easy integration and normalization of big data sets, including automatic content recognition (ACR) data and return path data (RPD), as well as direct integrations with digital platforms and CTV providers. 

The platform will be underpinned by a technology stack supporting large-scale models using machine-learning techniques and algorithms, to deliver comparability and consistency across sources, according to the company.  

Nielsen will create a working group to resolve thorny issues like how long a video view must be to constitute an impression, but is building technology to measure on a second-by-second basis, so it will support whatever standard is adopted, according to Brown. 

In July, Nielsen announced new methodology for a digital measurement suite based on its panels, census data collection technology, proprietary bias correction and calibration models,  third-party partner assets, a proprietary network of walled gardens and platform data providers, data from digital publishers augmented with Nielsen-verified demographics, and audience deduplication methodologies. 

Last month, the company said it would add 55 million devices across smart TV and set-top boxes to the addressable measurement of its national TV currency, and also announced the coming ID resolution system. 

Nielsen says Nielsen One will also underpin its reporting systems, helping marketers better understand frequency and "reduce double counting, inflated metrics and advertising waste."

“With the rapidly evolving landscape and on-going shifts in consumer behavior, it is no longer acceptable to take a siloed approach to our clients’ video plans,” Doug Ray, CEO, Dentsu Media, stated in Nielsen’s announcement. “Cross-media measurement is paramount to maximize reach across platforms with the right frequency. We are encouraged by Nielsen’s commitment to a single measurement solution and unified framework that will drive comparability across TV and digital video so that our clients can better allocate dollars and maximize ROI.”