Monday, 17 Octorber 2011

Following deals it struck that allows it to incorporate set-top data from DirecTV and Charter Communications homes into its ratings reports, Nielsen Media Research said it plans to collect set-top data from additional local markets in 2012.

Hasker

"We are investing a lot of time and energy and resources in terms of manpower and finances in incorporating that set-top data," Nielsen president of media product leadership Steve Hasker told TVNewsCheck. Other than Charter and DirecTV, Hasker didn't say which cable and satellite providers may supp Nielsen with set-top viewing data from subscriber homes.

In 2008, Nielsen struck a unique deal with Charter to collect anonymous set-top data from 330,000 households in the Los Angeles area. In July, the ratings company announced an agreement with Kantar Media which would allow it to add viewing data from DirecTV homes into its ratings reports.

Adding set-top data collected from Comcast  and other major pay TV providers could allow Nielsen to provide advertisers and programmers with more detailed information about how viewers consume their programming and ads. But collecting data from set-tops--which could allow Nielsen to track every click of a remote control in cable and satellite homes--may also prompt privacy advocates to scrutinize how Nielsen and pay TV distributors are using data collected from homes.

Hasker said Nielsen has developed a "proof of concept" involving set-top data from three markets, and is using it to prove to Nielsen clients and the industry that it can incorporate set-top data into reports that include local people meters and Nielsen diaries. He said the set-top data can "significantly enhance the fidelity of the ratings, the granularity of the ratings and the consistency and quality of the ratings in those markets."