Nielsen’s efforts to introduce new elements to its audience-measurement technology are gaining steam, despite the concerns of executives at some of the TV networks on which it keeps tabs. Nielsen on Thursday worked to show that some of the new features it wants to introduce to its products were on track to being ready for the marketplace, part of the start of an annual accreditation process before the Media Rating Council that could take up to two weeks to complete, according to five people familiar with the proceedings. The measurement giant hopes to gain industry backing for its efforts to combine data from digital devices with panel data from actual people — and in doing so, could open the door to Amazon being able to have its own first-party viewership data for “ Thursday Night Football ” incorporated into Nielsen’s ratings for the sports program.
Nielsen and Amazon have been working on this plan since 2023 , and have enjoyed the support of the NFL. Nielsen previously hoped to implement first-party data in fall of last year, but backed off after the networks complained. The meeting has stirred some tensions among the traditional TV networks, who feel Amazon may gain an early edge on them even though companies such as NBCU, Paramount Global, Warner Bros.
Discovery and Disney all have proprietary data tied to their own streaming efforts that could be part of Nielsen’s calculations in the future. Fox, which at present does not stream its sports telecasts on a bro.
