Warner Bros. Discovery is changing the way that its streaming service ratings get measured, in an effort to pivot away from the classic Nielsen rating format. Warner Bros. Discovery announced that it has signed a deal with VideoAmp, a firm that tracks ad campaigns across different screens, for a client’s entire network and brand portfolio. In the case of Warner Bros. Discovery, that portfolio is one that includes sports, news, entertainment, and lifestyle brands.
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WBD reportedly completed a “first-of-its-kind test-and-learn” process to see how VideoAmp tracks ad impressions and gauges video performance. The ratings service stands out for its pledge to mix set-top box ratings (Nielsen) and new-age smart TV data into one comprehensive data chart and report for ad buyers and marketing teams to analyze and plan around.
New WBD CEO David Zaslav made it no secret he was looking to change this paradigm of ratings measurement, telling investors over the summer that, “Unfortunately, Nielsen is a whiff. And it’s just massively disappointing that Nielsen can’t get its act together. We have lost money. Everyone has lost money. You’re dealing with a very antiquated delivery system. We’ve all learned how to get along with it. We do it by augmenting with our own data. But recently, they’ve just been wrong. It’s one thing if you have an antiquated system and then you augment it. But the antiquated system itself is unreliable.”
In a new joint statement from WBD and VideoAmp, VideoAmp founder and CEO Ross McCray said the following:
“The industry needs a better way to measure and transact on audiences–one that accounts for cross-platform supports both traditional and advanced audiences and provides attribution metrics in a manner that enables media sellers and buyers to unlock this potential and excel in a competitive environment. We are excited Warner Bros Discovery is creating a more sophisticated marketplace and we’re looking forward to unlocking value for them and the industry as a whole.”
As the streaming wars unfold in the entertainment industry, the issue of how performance is measured and/or reported back to the public has become increasingly prominent. It was one thing when Netflix was the clear streaming king with little competition, and the company adopted a policy of keeping most of its ratings data internal and secretive; it became something else when streamers like Netflix, Disney+, HBO Max, Prime Video, Paramount+ and others all share the same market space, and want to make their respective claims about setting records, besting the competition, and generally communicating how their particular service is doing.
It’s only gotten more and more dubious hearing about “minutes of viewership” or taking companies’ claims at face value when they claim milestones or records for programming or overall performance and trying to gauge social media buzz as any form of “measurement” is about as reliable and comprehensible as cryptocurrency. Warner Bros. Discovery obviously hopes to be one of the first to redefine that system (and no doubt master its PR potential, first).
Source: Deadline
