Charter Communications' ad sales unit, Spectrum Reach, said it is transitioning to using Comscore as its preferred source for local measurement.
The transition, from market leader Nielsen, will begin in Spectrum Reach’s Southeast Region.
Earlier this year, Charter, along with Qurate and Cerberus, made a $204 million strategic investment in Comscore. A part of the deal, Charter provides Comscore with enhanced access and right to use Charter consumer-level data.
The move also follows on the heels of a determination by the Media Rating Council that Nielsen has been undercounting viewing during the pandemic in both its national ratings and its local ratings.
After the disclosure, Comscore declared that its viewing data had remained consistent throughout the pandemic.
“The industry is ripe to move past traditional measurement models of age and gender to more data-driven, audience-based metrics,” said Beth Plummer, Spectrum Reach senior VP and chief revenue officer. “Spectrum Reach believes that diversity in currency is necessary, and Comscore provides the most reliable local viewership data. When customers want to buy specific audiences, not ratings, and get back-end attribution, the data has to be granular. Comscore has the most granular and stable data in local TV markets.”
Charter will use Comscore’s viewing data and information about specific audience and analytics on campaign effectiveness to enhance its ad sales effort.
“The industry knows the future needs a different means to measure, transact and evaluate success in media. We are proud to be a leading currency in the marketplace, have signed many new partners, and look forward to working closely with Spectrum Reach as their preferred source for local audience measurement.” said Carol Hinnant, chief revenue officer, Comscore.
Strong Automotive Merchandising, a Spectrum Reach client who buys media on behalf of tier 3 automotive dealers nationwide, also has moved exclusively to buying on Comscore’s television currency in the Southeast region.
“We were pleased to work with our partners at Spectrum Reach and Comscore during this currency transition,” said John Paul Strong, owner and CEO of Strong Automotive Merchandising. “The stability and reliability of Comscore census-based measurement allows my clients the greatest opportunity for effective media investment.”
