Nielsen & Twitter Link Up for Ratings Service

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO: Nielsen and Twitter are teaming up to deliver a syndicated-standard metric for the reach of the TV conversation on the social micro-blogging site, dubbed Nielsen Twitter TV Rating.

The social TV audience measurement and analytics service will be available at the start of the fall 2013 TV season. Nielsen Twitter TV Rating will serve as a companion to Nielsen’s existing TV ratings, allowing networks and advertisers to get real-time metrics about TV audience social activity. The service will enhance the social TV analytics currently available from SocialGuide by adding the first-ever measurement of the total audience for social TV activity. This includes those participating in the conversation and those who are exposed to the activity.

“The Nielsen Twitter TV Rating is a significant step forward for the industry, particularly as programmers develop increasingly captivating live TV and new second-screen experiences, and advertisers create integrated ad campaigns that combine paid and earned media,” said Steve Hasker, the president of global media products and advertiser solutions at Nielsen. “As a media measurement leader we recognize that Twitter is the preeminent source of real-time television engagement data.”

“Our users love the shared experience of watching television while engaging with other viewers and show talent. Twitter has become the world’s digital water cooler, where conversations about TV happen in real time. Nielsen is who the networks rely on to give better content to viewers and clearer results to marketers,” added Chloe Sladden, Twitter’s VP of media. “This effort reflects Nielsen’s foresight into the evolving nature of the TV viewing experience, and we’re looking forward to collaborating with Twitter ecosystem partners on this metric to help broadcasters and advertisers create truly social TV experiences.”

“The proliferation of smartphones and tablets has generated a substantial ‘connected’ TV audience that is simultaneously watching television and accessing the Internet through these devices,” said David F. Poltrack, the chief research officer at CBS Corporation. “This, in turn, will continue to create the opportunity for content providers like CBS to offer engaging interactive features for our viewers. As this form of viewer engagement evolves into a mainstream activity, it presents ways for CBS to enhance the viewing experience for our viewers and our advertisers. We are already engaged with Nielsen and Twitter in a program of research and experimentation in this exciting new area. We are pleased to see Nielsen and Twitter join together to provide a comprehensive measurement system that will allow us to employ these social networking tools to their full advantage."