Nielsen plans to “launch a new system that examines how many impressions a show or commercial makes across a broader panoply of video windows that might include the TV screen, but also the one embedded in a smartphone or computer,” according to Brian Steinberg of VARIETY. The process, which is “expected to start in the fourth quarter of 2022 and be completed by the fall of the 2024 TV season, is likely to recalibrate decades of efforts to understand who watches programming and how they do it.” Nielsen GM of Audience Measurement Scott Brown said, “Our customers want to understand how much audience came from different windows -- from YouTube, from Amazon. It really kind of changes the whole concept of what TV ratings are.” Under the new system, dubbed “Nielsen One,” advertisers and media outlets “will be able to use a single third-party measure that provides a look at how many people are watching a piece of content across linear and digital venues.” Rather than examine what percentage of homes have “tuned in, advertisers and networks might also focus on the total number of unduplicated video impressions a program or commercial makes over the course of a pre-determined window of time.” TV networks may have to “invest in new technology and systems to accommodate Nielsen’s changes, and there’s no guarantee that every company will decide to take part immediately” (VARIETY.com, 12/8).
