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The explosion of available data is directly correlated with the content boom and multiplatform viewing, but the quest for better metrics is better proceeding at a measured pace, lest regulators stick their nose into the TV measurement business.

Those were the core themes voiced by the five participants in the vibrant panel session “Data-Driven: How Big Data Is Boosting the Value of TV Advertising” during Tuesday's Advanced Advertising Summit.   

“Content everywhere is changing how consumers consume,” said Aleck Schleider, VP of data and analytics for Videology. “They get things on different devices, in different formats. They are skipping advertising. And this in and of itself is forcing us to have a greater level of understanding. When people are searching for a deeper level of understanding, they are looking for different sources of data.”

In fact, “we are swimming in data,” said Pankaj Shroff, founder and CEO of Psychability, “so from the perspective of a technology provider, the question is, once an ecosystem has access to data, how do you make that data actionable?”

Kim Norris, COO of Viamedia, said one action that has evolved notably due to data is targeting.

“What’s been particularly interesting has been the introduction of vertical data sets,” she said. “You can look at things like voter registration data tied to viewing data to understand the behaviors of people who are falling into different categories politically. The appending of automotive data, pharma data, enables you to target.”

Lance Neuhauser, CEO of 4C Insights, said there is undue attention paid to standardization. Buyers and sellers in the market are inevitably going to reach different conclusions and make different strategic decisions based on the exact same piece of available data.

“They’re going to transact off it,” he said. “That doesn’t mean you have to have standard measurement in order to make that decision.”

Read more at broadcastingcable.com.

Twelve top-performing executives in cable television operations, programming, network distribution and advertising sales have been selected by the editors of Multichannel News as the 2013 class of Wonder Women.

They will be profiled in the Jan. 28 edition of Multichannel News and will be honored at a luncheon event on March 19 at the Hilton New York hotel. For more information about the event, email Sandy Friedman (sfriedman@nbmedia.com).

Here is the 2013 class of Wonder Women:

Jamia Bigalow, senior vice president, distribution marketing, Fox Networks

Denise Denson, executive vice president, content distribution and marketing, Viacom Media Networks

Viviane Eisenberg, senior vice president and chief counsel, programming, global marketing and global licensing, HBO

Irene Esteves, executive vice president and chief financial officer, Time Warner Cable

Tamara Franklin, senior vice president, affiliate operations and new media distribution, Scripps Networks Interactive

Jacqueline Hernandez, chief operating officer, Telemundo Media

Ava Jordhamo, president, New York, Zenith

Nancy Kanter, senior vice president, original programming, and general manager, Disney Junior Worldwide

Marjorie Kaplan, president and general manager, Animal Planet; president, Science & Velocity Networks

Cathy Kilstrom, senior vice president, customer care, West Division, Comcast Cable

Kim Norris, executive vice president, emerging businesses and data analytics, Cablevision Media Sales

Donna Speciale, president, Turner Entertainment & Young Adults Ad Sales

The editors of Multichannel News will also be selecting a class of Women to Watch who will be honored at the luncheon, co-hosted with the New York chapter of Women in Cable Telecommunications.