ITV

Tag: Scott L Brown

  • Nielsen, DirecTV to test measurement of interactive viewing

    Nielsen, DirecTV to test measurement of interactive viewing

    MUMBAI: US pay TV service provider DirecTV and researcgh firm Nielsen have entered into an agreement to test the development of information.

    This will enable them to understand the daily viewing behaviors, trends and characteristics of customers who use DirecTV’s interactive television services.

    In developing its new metrics for measuring interactive usage, Nielsen will use aggregated and anonymous clickstream data from a new television measurement panel of 300,000 DIRECTV interactive customers. Information from the test could lead to an enhanced consumer experience and the creation of more valuable interactive opportunities for advertisers.

    DirecTV adds that it respects the privacy of its customers. Unless customers provide consent through an opt-in process, DirecTV only provides viewing data on an aggregated and anonymous basis.

    DirecTV Entertainment executive VP Eric Shanks says, “As the DirecTV interactive TV space continues to rapidly evolve, we need to develop a complete and accurate understanding of how our customers use these services. Through our test with Nielsen we hope to develop the usage information our programming and advertising partners need to take full advantage of our interactive platform and reach their target audiences in a truly unique way.”

    The agreement is the first of its kind to be announced since the creation of Nielsen DigitalPlus, a new service created by Nielsen to help clients better understand information opportunities available through consumer interaction via digital set top boxes.

    Nielsen senior VP Scott L Brown says, “This agreement with DirecTV is an exciting new opportunity to gain valuable insight into how new technology is influencing the behavior of interactive satellite subscribers. The television industry is at the very beginning of understanding the uses and applications of expanding digital services. Nielsen is using our full resources to help clients create valuable new uses for their digital information.”

  • Nielsen to launch VoD measurement service in US on 11 December

    Nielsen to launch VoD measurement service in US on 11 December

    MUMBAI: Nielsen Media Research in the United States has announced that it will launch a new service to measure nationally distributed Video On Demand (VoD) content on 11 December. This service will use the same National People Meter sample it uses to provide television ratings to national programmers.

    As with Nielsen’s current ratings, clients will receive household and demographic ratings for VoD content along with other detailed audience information. By measuring VoD content in its national ratings panel, Nielsen will enable clients to compare the performance of programs airing on traditional channels with the performance of those same programs on demand, informs an official release.

    Nielsen will be able to provide VoD reporting to clients who implement “watermarking,” or audio code, technology that identifies specific on-demand titles. Working in conjunction with clients, Nielsen has developed the encoding tools to uniquely “watermark” VoD content so that Nielsen’s newly deployed Active/Passive meter can accurately identify on-demand viewing sessions.

    Nielsen’s launch of VoD measurement ushers in a new level of reporting for all types of video on demand programming, including titles from the libraries of content providers and recently telecast programs shown again via VoD.
    New broadcast and cable network programming that is played back via VoD is already included in Nielsen’s time-shifted viewing ratings, but only if the programming content and advertising is the same as is in the original live telecast, adds the release.

    “Because Video On Demand is a growing business and a potentially valuable new revenue stream for programmers, it is increasingly important for them to understand who is watching their shows and to be able to compare the viewing that is being done via traditional television and VoD,” said Nielsen senior vice president Scott L Brown. “With this launch, we continue to ‘follow the video’ wherever it is broadcast, while fulfilling a commitment we made to clients who told us last year that VoD measurement was a major priority for them. Nielsen will be working with clients to make sure they install our watermarking technology so we can identify both their library content and their new, recently presented programs shown via VoD.”

    The release also states that Nielsen’s new watermarking process involves new software that embeds content identification information in the audio of the VoD program. This software has been tested by a number of clients over the course of several months and is now ready for use. Once a client installs the watermarking software, Nielsen can identify the programs it wishes to track through the VoD process, and the VoD programs viewed in sample households can be credited accordingly.