Nielsen said it launched Nielsen Streaming Video Ratings, a syndicated service that measures total viewership and advanced audience demographic insights by streaming platforms along side traditional linear TV ratings.
At launch the Streaming Video Ratings will cover 10 top streaming platforms plus seven categories of apps. Some are of the services being measured, subscription based, others are ad supported, network, social, gaming, MVPDs and vMVPDs.
Nielsen subscribers can access the data via the NPower system.
Media buyers have been looking for ways to compare viewing on TV with streaming usage. Nielsen has been working to develop a new systems--Nielsen One--that put all viewing platforms and devices in a comparable framework.
Netflix--which doesn't sell ads--has resisted Nielsen's efforts to measure its audiences and criticized its estimates.
Nielsen estimates that streaming accounts for a 25% share of viewing in households that can stream, up from 18% a year ago. Nielsen Streaming Video Ratings will deliver insights into how much streaming behavior is happening on the TV screen, how the various streaming providers compare, what devices are being used to stream and how different audience groups stream, the company said.
Among homes that have streaming capabilities, Netflix accounts for about 7% of total time on TV, Nielsen said. It said a third of streaming homes access between three and four SVOD services per month. Half of those homes also use an ad-supported streaming service as well.
"By 2024, it's estimated that streaming platforms will have amassed 210 million subscribers, which represents a staggering number of consumers and a major shift in media habits," said Kevin Rini, senior VP, product management, Nielsen.
"Now more than ever, it's important for our clients to have a clear understanding of the streaming landscape, both from a program or content perspective, which our SVOD service does, as well as at a macro view of audience consumption that takes into account the total use of streaming platforms comparable to linear TV,” Rini said. “Nielsen Streaming Video Ratings does just that—rounding out our suite of streaming solutions and providing a comprehensive view of streaming consumption and advanced audience demographics. It will help any business buying, selling or investing in media to have the clear picture of the impact of these consumer shifts."
