Consumers thirsty for video content are being increasingly rewarded with high-quality video offerings on a plethora of devices. According to the latest Nielsen Cross-Platform Report, Americans spend nearly 35 hours per week watching video across screens, and close to another five hours using the Internet on a computer. As content creators and programmers rise to meet increasing demand for video content across varied platforms, new business models have emerged that have required advancements in audience measurement and reporting.
One such company in the non-linear television space is Music Choice (MC). A top-five network on 12-34 audience concentration available in over 51 million households, MC also programs dozens of uninterrupted music channels; produces original content; and programs SWRV, the first interactive video music network. MC is a partnership among subsidiaries of Microsoft Corporation, Motorola, Inc., Sony Corporation of America, EMI Music and several leading U.S. cable providers.
“We are thrilled to work with Nielsen on this significant measurement enhancement and to be the first VOD network measured and reported externally, as our advertising partners will now have equivalent metrics for MC VOD compared to traditional TV networks,” stated Christina Tancredi, Chief Operating Officer at Music Choice.
The first of its kind, Nielsen’s cross-platform VOD Ratings service (formerly known as Library VOD service), allows for MC’s viewing audiences—as measured via Nielsen’s National People Meter sample — to be reported within Nielsen’s standard NPOWER reporting system, enabling evaluation based on audience size, household characteristics, demographics, viewer segments and direct analytical comparisons with linear television audiences through a single-source panel.
“MC delivers a large, hard to reach, millennial audience in a clutter-free TV experience that results in a more effective advertising environment,” added Tancredi. “We will now be able to prove how effectively we reach marketers’ key audiences as MC consistently ranks as a top 5 network on 12-34 audience concentration.”
Music Choice On Demand is the first Nielsen VOD Ratings client to elect to showcase their viewing audiences externally to all NPOWER subscribers beginning 10/29/12.
Cross-platform Nielsen VOD Ratings currently includes viewing from TVs and all devices connected to the TV such as video game consoles, DVD players, and other devices that deliver over-the-top media. Early in 2013, Nielsen will expand this service’s capabilities to include viewing from computers metered within its Cross-Platform Homes sample with the inclusion of iPads expected to follow later.
