Nielsen to Use Facebook and Twitter For New Ratings System

Social listening and viewing may provide the only realistic approximation of the way in which people now consume media. Without it, audience ratings are about as relevant as the pocket watch. JL

Emily Steel reports in the New York Times:

Nielsen has failed to keep pace with the digital transformation that has reshaped the industry. As a result, it is not accurately capturing the real audience for shows. The new ratings will measure programs on both traditional television and streaming services during the time period when the show is televised. With the new offering, Nielsen is building a stronger force in the so-called social listening market.

Nielsen is getting more social.

The media research firm plans to announce on Wednesday that it is working with Facebook to include conversations about TV programs on the social network in its measurement system. Now called “Social Content Ratings,” the metric will also include TV-related chatter on Twitter.

The deal is part of a broader effort at Nielsen to improve its methods for measuring how people watch television today.

The company has faced harsh criticism in recent years from TV and advertising executives, who complain that Nielsen has failed to keep pace with the digital transformation that has reshaped the industry. As a result, they say, it is not accurately capturing the real audience for shows. Last week, for instance, television network executives expressed frustration over the lack of measurement of programs on the streaming service Netflix.

Nielsen has tried to fight back, introducing a series of services that track digital viewing. About three years ago, Nielsen struck a deal with Twitter to measure television-related conversations on Twitter. For example, the companies released data for the Republican presidential debate on Fox Business Network last week. The program elicited 1.2 million Twitter messages, written by 247,000 unique authors, that were seen by a total of 6.4 million people.

The new ratings will measure programs on both traditional television and streaming services during the time period when the show is televised. It will also monitor conversations about television programs round the clock.

With the new offering, Nielsen is building a stronger force in the so-called social listening market. That includes companies like ListenFirst Media that monitors activity on more than a dozen digital media outlets for more than 40 television networks.

To date, media companies have tapped Nielsen’s Twitter TV ratings as a tool to develop and market shows. Advertisers have used them to help decide where to spend their budgets. Executives said that the goal is for the expanded social ratings to become even more integral to the industry.