Nielsen Won’t Use Amazon ‘Thursday Night Football’ Viewership Data (At Least For Now)
Nielsen is introducing a novel measurement tool for media that is currently inaccessible.
Nielsen decided against including data directly from Amazon in their analysis of the viewership for "Thursday Night Football." This decision was met with opposition from TV networks and puts to rest, at least temporarily, the notion that Nielsen might use information from the very companies it evaluates when determining national audience numbers.
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Nielsen stated on Thursday that their goal is to make sure that when they bring in new methods of measuring audiences, they take into account the opinions of their clients and follow the strictest criteria. They also mentioned that, at the moment, their National TV service, which solely relies on panels, will continue to be the main reference point. However, they also mentioned that data gathered directly from users will be incorporated into the broader data analysis, providing national measurement numbers that can be accessed separately by all customers.
The corporation had intended to integrate Amazon's "TNF" information and its approach to handling it, so much so that it even presented its plans to the Media Ratings Council last week. The Media Ratings Council, a neutral organization endorsed by the media and advertising sectors, assesses companies that offer audience measurement services. However, the television networks vehemently opposed the idea and urged Nielsen to delay its implementation.
Amazon and Nielsen have been in talks about forming a partnership since earlier this year, following a disagreement between the two parties regarding the number of viewers for last season's "Thursday Night Football." Nielsen, which traditionally relies on data from viewer panels, found that the audience was 18% smaller compared to Amazon's calculations based on the number of devices streaming the game. However, they are now collaborating to resolve these discrepancies.
The VAB, an organization that represents American television networks, recently sent a letter to Nielsen asking them to stop working with Amazon. The VAB believes that Nielsen's plans for Amazon in relation to NFL content will unfairly favor Amazon and harm other NFL broadcasters, distributors, and advertising sellers. Sean Cunningham, the CEO of the VAB, expressed these concerns in the letter.
However, the networks have been experimenting with similar initiatives. Their criticism of the collaboration between Nielsen and Amazon arises after their continuous efforts over the past few years to convince advertisers and Nielsen to acknowledge alternative audience metrics derived from their own data. Paramount Global, NBCUniversal, and Warner Bros. Discovery have been notably outspoken about the necessity to explore alternative measurement technologies, as they believe Nielsen's pace of adapting to accurately measure audiences streaming their preferred content falls short, especially compared to traditional linear TV viewing habits.
Nielsen stated that they will keep on exploring the concept of utilizing the data provided by media outlets. "We are pleased by the excitement shown by the MRC TV committee members and our clients regarding the inclusion of first-hand data in measurement. We are currently having advanced discussions with prominent programmers and are hopeful that our enthusiastic partners will successfully integrate the process in the upcoming season," Nielsen mentioned in a letter addressed to its clients on Thursday.
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