It’s a great time to be a media consumer. New streaming technologies with over-the-top (OTT) apps, connected devices and social media are redefining the media landscape. While traditional linear TV offers an increasing array of new channels and new features (e.g., cloud-based DVR), OTT providers are making their mark with curated and skinny bundles for live programming choices. Exclusive content from OTT and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) providers is exploding. Consumers can truly choose to watch anytime, anywhere and on any device.

On the technology side, data management platforms, advertising exchanges and real-time programmatic technologies are revolutionizing the ad industry with data-driven and predictive ad delivery capabilities. These technologies are making it possible to reach consumers or preferred lifestyle segments with personalized ads.

While those changes are great for the consumer, they are creating more complexity in the ecosystem and thus more challenges for media researchers. Those challenges can be grouped into two broad categories: media fragmentation (more content and channels that need to be measured) and device fragmentation (media consumption on more diverse digital platforms). To make the right business decisions in this highly complex marketplace, content owners, publishers, advertisers and their agencies need a reliable solution that can address this two-pronged challenge. They need a full picture of the consumption of ads and content, piecing together all devices and distribution channels to produce what we at Nielsen call a total audience measurement solution.

This paper outlines the key technology developments that are making it possible.