Nielsen TV Ratings Now Include Hulu, YouTube TV

Eligible TV viewing from Hulu and YouTube TV is now measured and reported through Nielsen’s Digital in TV Ratings.

Combining digital viewing of eligible live, DVR and on-demand TV on Hulu’s live service and YouTube TV with traditional linear audience metrics, Nielsen captures audiences watching linear television through these services on desktop, tablets and smartphones. The viewing contributes directly to C3/C7 currency.

“The inclusion of eligible TV viewership from Hulu and YouTube TV viewership in C3 and C7 through Digital in TV Ratings is a major accomplishment in delivering Nielsen Total Audience to the marketplace,” said Megan Clarken, the president of product leadership at Nielsen. “We are proud to be able to deliver this solution to our clients as part of our commitment to provide trusted, independent measurement of the evolving modern media landscape.”

“We built YouTube TV to bring the most popular ‘must-watch’ TV to today’s video streaming audiences and we’re already seeing that live TV represents the majority of time spent watching on the service,” noted Heather Moosnick, the director of content partnerships for YouTube TV. “Our network and advertising partners will benefit from Nielsen DTVR measurement of YouTube TV.”

“Our goal is to make it possible for viewers to watch their favorite shows whenever and wherever they want—and be able to measure that viewership,” said Cindy Davis, the executive VP of consumer experience at Disney-ABC Television Group. “We are pleased with Nielsen’s launch of this capability, and look forward to the new insights it enables.”

Wanda Young, the senior VP of marketing and consumer engagement from sister company ESPN, added, “This move represents an important step forward toward complete cross-platform measurement, and we are encouraged by Nielsen’s efforts to capture viewing across the shifting media ecosystem—particularly among the growing number of partnerships between programmers and digital distributors.”