Nielsen: TV Ratings To See Meaningful Lifts From New Digital Viewing Measure

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Network TV shows see an average lift of as much as 5% in per-minute viewing per month among 18-to-49-year-olds when you add consumption on digital devices, Nielsen said today in its first disclosure of some findings from the data it has been collecting since January.

The digital number comes on top of what the ratings service says is a growth of anywhere from 4% to 58% in program viewing that different technologies — including DVRs and VOD — provide more than seven days after a show airs.

“The method of viewing changes as the distance from the original airing grows” — with digital having the most impact weeks afterward — Glenn Enoch, SVP of Audience Insights said this morning at a press briefing about its recent research ahead of this year’s Upfront and digital video Newfront ad sales efforts.

Broadly speaking, digital has the least impact on results for reality competition shows. Its contribution grows for serial dramas, episodic dramas, and sitcoms — and is highest for animated comedies.

The additional digital viewing Nielsen finds could be important for networks as they try to persuade advertisers that they’re still a good buy at a time when traditional ratings are declining. Many programmers hope to influence ad buying decisions by offering their own, proprietary information about digital viewing.

“But they’re the only ones who can see that,” Enoch says. “This provides third party syndicated data so everyone can see what’s going on.”

… read on at deadline.com

Originally posted by at Deadline
3rd May 2016

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