Nielsen Starts Tracking Streaming Theatrical Films

Nielsen
(Image credit: Nielsen)

Nielsen is launching a new service that measures the theatrical movies consumers rent or buy to stream at home.

With few consumers going to theaters during the COVID-19 pandemic, studios are releasing more films through streaming and cable platforms. 

Nielsen’s Theatrical Video On-Demand service will help clients figure out how many people are streaming movie content compared to other content and will deliver demographic and behavioral information beyond the standard box-office metrics, enabling studios to make decisions about licensing and promotion based on audience data.  

“As this unprecedented pandemic continues to influence consumer behavior, perhaps even through a prolonged state of recovery waves, being able to measure and help clients appropriately monetize new revenue streams has never been more crucial,” said Scott N. Brown, GM, audience measurement at Nielsen. “A bigger question might be what will audiences do following any recovery, how the behavior adopted during stay-at-home orders might influence habits when consumers have the ability to go back to theaters to enjoy that experience and how content creators will leverage data to make the best decisions regarding distribution platforms in the future.”

Streaming now accounts for 24% of total usage among OTT capable homes, up from 21% just a year ago, Nielsen said.

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.