Estimates vary as to the exact amount of streaming ad spending, but it’s a growing chunk of the video total, and new vehicles like Disney and Netflix’s ad-supported tiers have arrived to try to harvest some of the billions. Instead of continuing to have a direct stake in managed media sales, Samba sees this as a propitious moment to zero in on measurement.
Samba, along with companies like iSpot and VideoAmp, is looking to take share from Nielsen, especially given the mounting need for clarity about viewership of programming and advertising in the streaming era. Traditional metrics from the linear era, while never supremely reliable, at least functioned as a universal standard for the industry. In the streaming era, there is much less universally accepted data in circulation.
The multi-year agreement between the companies will bolster MiQ’s existing connected TV data footprint with Samba TV’s ability to track 28 million U.S. devices, giving MiQ total reach to more than 60 million devices nationwide. The partnership will also see Samba TV’s managed media services capabilities added to MiQ’s Advanced TV offering.