• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, November 9, 2021

Nielsen has begun internal tests of its new multimedia audience measurement methodology, Nielsen One, and will begin testing it with clients next year, the company’s top management executives said during a briefing with a Wall Street securities firm.

“Most of the methodology is built from Big Data sources like [connected TV] makers and Roku, but Nielsen’s panel remains vital to calibrating the data for fraudulent accounts, non-viewed content (e.g., streaming or set-top box showing video, but TV is off) and better accounting for underrepresented audiences,” BMO Capital Markets analyst Daniel Salmon disclosed in a report sent to investors late Monday.

The report describes Nielsen executives as characterizing Nielsen One as a “streaming-first orientation from the outset," and the core of David Kenny’s vision since becoming Nielsen’s CEO three years ago.

The report notes that the vision coincides with rapidly expanding demand from advertisers for ad-supported streaming inventory, which generally yields higher prices relative to other advertising buys. The Nielsen executives also characterized the increasing focus on privacy as a “tailwind for its overall business owing to the legacy in trusted panel use.”

Nielsen utilizes its own proprietary identity tracker for measuring audiences, though not for actually targeting them, but the report notes it can be used to “reconcile” other targeting tools like Universal ID 2.0 and/or Google’s FLoCs (federated learning of cohorts).

Nielsen disclosed is streaming meters are now being used by 18,000 of its targeted 42,000 panel base, with the majority expected to adopt them by next year.

In terms of Nielsen’s grander designs, management said the company’s Gracenote division, which watermarks digital content so it can be tracked and measured, is poised for growth across streaming services, online gaming, and even various “metaverse opportunities.”