Nielsen makes data stream available via key buying systems

With local stations looking to get their delayed viewing better represented, Nielsen sit is making a data stream that includes live viewing plus one day of delayed viewing available to major ad buying systems.

In a letter to clients, Nielsen said that the 4AS and the TVB had requested a more comprehensive metric that better reflects the time-shifted viewing habits of consumers.

“As television viewing has evolved, the Live +1 stream is now the best representation of the spot TV audience,” Steve Lanzano, president of the TVB said in January. “Live +1 also very closely aligns with and is the best surrogate of national C7 ratings, which has become the predominant national transaction currency.

”The major buying systems, including Mediaocean, Strata and Wideorbit, can only handle four published data streams from Nielsen at one, so the Live+1 data stream will replace the live stream.

Surveys found that few if any buys were being made using the live metric. The live metric will still be tabulated and available via other Nielsen systems.

The switch will take effect in monthly reports beginning with the July reporting period and in daily reports starting in September.

“We accelerated our project schedule in partnership with Nielsen, the TVB and broadcasters to enable Live+1 local currency in our Spectra local media systems,” said Cordie De Pascale, senior VP Partner Management. "Measurement currencies evolve to reflect consumer viewing behavior, and Mediaocean’s systems will be ready to support Live+1 for our users."