• by Wayne Friedman , August 10, 2022

With the coming of its new cross-platform media-measurement service Nielsen One next year, Nielsen says all its media panels have seen growth -- including its highly scrutinized national TV panel, which has grown to more than 42,000 homes and 101,000 "directly measured viewers."

Nielsen's national TV panel has been measuring around 36,000 to 38,000 viewers, according to third-party estimates, during the pandemic periods in 2020 and 2021. A Nielsen spokesperson says: “Due to Covid our panel fell below the agreed upon threshold of 41,600.”

Nielsen faced major issues in the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic starting in the spring of 2020, with TV networks and its ad trade organization, the VAB, blaming the company for the undercounting of viewing caused the Nielsen inability to do regular maintenance on its TV panel homes.

Last September, the Media Rating Council issued suspensions of Nielsen's accreditation for its national and local TV services.

The move followed a request made by Nielsen to the MRC to put its national TV ratings service accreditation on hiatus to focus on the development of Nielsen One, its forthcoming cross-platform media service.

Nielsen's hiatus request followed disclosures that it underreported viewing related to issues stemming from the pandemic

Nielsen says its current national TV panel total includes a subset of 21,000 homes that are part of a Nielsen’s streaming meter panel.
Looking at all its media panels -- TV, digital and audio -- the company says the total number of individuals now tallies more than 500,000.

Nielsen's local TV panel now comprises more than 25,000 people and 11,000 homes. Its digital media panel -- metered panelists measuring ad and content exposure across computer, mobile and cross-platform -- are at more than 75,000. Audio/radio is at more than 77,000 in 48 markets. In 44 markets these panelists also measure out-of-homeTV viewing.

Nielsen also says its Participant panel -- which provides demographic data to validate and correct third-party data such as program content and advertising exposures -- is now at more than 250,000.