measurement. While Nielsen is still in business with WBD and other media giants, and complaints about the firm have been common over many decades, it has fallen under a darker shadow of skepticism in recent years. The Media Rating Council, an independent, non-profit watchdog, has revoked its accreditation for Nielsen’s national TV ratings in the wake of admissions by Nielsen that it undercounted both linear and streaming viewers.
During his time leading Discovery, which merged with WarnerMedia in April 2021, WBD CEO David Zaslav repeatedly expressed frustration with Nielsen’s methods. Speaking with Wall Street analysts on an August 2021 earnings call, the exec didn’t mince words. “Unfortunately, Nielsen is a whiff. And it’s just massively disappointing that Nielsen can’t get its act together,” he said. “We have lost money. Everyone has lost money. You’re dealing with a very antiquated delivery system.
In a press release, WBD and VideoAmp said their agreement is born out of growing unrest. “The industry needs a better way to measure and transact on audiences–one that accounts for cross-platform, supports both traditional and advanced audiences and provides attribution metrics in a manner that enables media sellers and buyers to unlock this potential and excel in a competitive environment,” said Ross McCray, founder and CEO of VideoAmp.
An assessment by WBD of the measurement landscape concluded that there is a need for greater standardization, identity resolution, personification and transaction capability as buyers and sellers look to transact with multiple currencies by the 2023 upfront, the release said. “Traditional media measurement has not kept pace with how consumers are engaging with streaming and linear content. As a result, these audiences have been undercounted and current measures no longer accurately reflect their truevalue,” said Andrea Zapata, EVP, Head of Ad Sales Research, Measurement and Insights, Warner Bros. Discovery.
That's interesting 🤔