Comscore said it is teaming up with Samba TV to expand its cross-platform measurement capabilities into Europe and deliver CTV viewing information starting in Italy and Sweden.
Comscore’s TV measurement is based mainly on data mainly from cable operators. Samba’s viewing data comes from smart TVs and automatic content recognition. It will need both as more viewers cut the cord and watch programming on streaming devices and advertisers demand cross-platform metrics.
“We are delighted to be extending our TV measurement capabilities across Europe,” said Bill Livek, CEO of Comscore. “As a leader in this area for the U.S., we have a strategic opportunity to harness our valuable information in partnership with Samba TV and other key players in the region to create an unmatched measurement offer for this vital channel.”
In the U.S., Comscore uses Samba TV data for custom studies and analyzing the effectiveness and return on investment of advertising campaigns.
“We are eager to leverage our massive, global scale of Smart TV data to augment the capabilities of leading measurement companies like Comscore to address the complexity of today’s media landscape,” said Samba TV CEO and co-founder Ashwin Navin. “With the rapid shifts across TV viewing behavior, advertisers and publishers can no longer expect their legacy approach to accurately quantify the size of audiences or the effectiveness of advertising. This partnership is a game changer for global marketers who care about performance, accuracy, and data innovation.”
Comscore will work carefully to include smart TV data in its ratings, which can be used as currency in buying TV commercials.
“We are working together to advance these solutions,” said Chris Wilson, Comscore’s chief financial officer. “We leverage their information and they profit from it as we do, if we’re successful in the marketplace.”
Comscore said that it and Samba TV have already started new TV measurement projects in Europe. The two companies plan to expand into additional regions in 2021.
