• by Karlene Lukovitz  @KLmarketdaily, June 20, 2023

Facing an expanding array of alternate measurement solutions and growing use of integrated data for media buying and performance measurement for convergent TV campaigns, Nielsen is collaborating with a competitor, rather than acquiring it, for the first time.

Nielsen and alternate measurement/analytics EDO are integrating their data for use in planning, buying and outcomes measurement. Players on board to try the offering include Disney, Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) and Mediahub Worldwide.

The deal also marks the first time that EDO — which was co-founded in 2015 by actor/tech entrepreneur Edward Norton and Daniel Nadler and raised $80 million in investment on a $200-million valuation in April 2022 — has partnered with a rival.

For use by their mutual clients, Nielsen will make its Nielsen ONE audience measurement data available as an input to EDO’s predictive outcomes solution, and EDO will make its outcomes measurement data available as an input for Nielsen’s Media Impact planning software.

The combined data sets will allow U.S. media buyers and sellers to plan and optimize convergent TV campaigns in a single, streamlined ad measurement view and result in more accurate analytics, according to the companies.

The integration will join Nielsen’s National TV measurement, including its Live Streaming measurement, with EDO’s Convergent TV database, which covers cross-category streaming ad airings and says it has measured every national TV ad aired since 2015.  

In a later phase, Nielsen says it intends to integrate EDO’s predictive outcomes data into Nielsen ONE Ads to allow clients to plan, measure and optimize campaign performance on an end-to-end basis.

“For a century now, Nielsen has provided great value to the industry with measurement data made available through our own products,” said Nielsen Chief Product Officer Deirdre Thomas, in announcing the partnership. “With EDO, we are taking the first step toward extending that same value beyond our own tools and allowing the power of our audience measurement to be integrated alongside other datasets and enhance other applications. We believe this interoperability will drive the next era of impactful, responsive media and advertising planning.”

Actually, unlike some other companies positioning themselves as "alternate currencies," EDO is not generally viewed as a head-on competitor to Nielsen. Rather, its streaming-focused data is seen as complementary to Nielsen’s viewership, reach and frequency measurement and expanded, cross-platform offerings.  

“For years, our clients have manually combined Nielsen reach and frequency with EDO predictive outcomes to get the most out of their investment decisions and campaign plans, but the complexity of a streaming and linear landscape demands better solutions,” added Kevin Krim, CEO and president of EDO. “Data-driven software tools, powered by the best signals, are the clear answer. By connecting these critical datasets in both our platforms, we are offering a multidimensional view to meet the needs of convergent TV.”

In January, EDO expanded its relationship with Disney, which has used EDO to measure outcomes of sports and other live events, to apply EDO’s engagement data to Disney’s streaming platforms, starting with Hulu and then the new Disney+ ad-supported tier.

At the time, Mediahub Worldwide advanced advertising EVP Michael Piner observed that “EDO’s outcome-based measurement metrics alongside Disney’s vast linear and streaming catalog provides an alternative signal of outcome-based ad performance” that allows Mediahub to understand convergent TV performance.

Since then, Disney has been working with Nielsen and EDO on outcomes-based measurement as a premier partner in the new integration. “We look forward to seeing a solution centered around performance,” said Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising.

“By integrating Nielsen and EDO data into a unified view, WBD can be that much more effective at helping brands achieve optimal reach, frequency, engagement and business outcomes,” said Jon Steinlauf, chief U.S. advertising sales officer at WBD, which last month announced that it is working with EDO and five other companies (605, ABCS Insights, Disqo, LoopMe and Pilotly) to measure the effectiveness of advertising campaigns across its linear, digital and advanced audiences.

“The convergent TV marketplace needs increased collaboration across the board to solve complex measurement challenges that seem to evolve by the day,” said Sean Corcoran, U.S. CEO at Mediahub Worldwide, calling the Nielsen/EDO partnership “a creative solution that minimizes complexity for brands and their agency partners, helping us plan and optimize high-impact campaigns with ease.”