NIELSEN: ONE BIG STEP CLOSER TO A SINGLE MEASUREMENT
We’ve heard it before, but this time it looks like we might actually be close to having an accepted common currency for traditional TV and Streaming. The Media Rating Council has greenlit Nielsen’s “panel plus big data” methodology, which combines its own TV data with viewership figures provided by streaming outlets. So far, this only affects live sports—the audience sample is too small for most programs, and Amazon’s Thursday Night Football is the only one that uses the new measurement. This will probably remain a sports-only (or maybe events-only) metric for a while since they stream at the same time they’re broadcast on their sibling linear platforms. (Hollywood Reporter: Nov 25, 2024)
BUILDING A PLAN IN A FRACTURED LANDSCAPE
With audiences fragmenting as the number of video options increases, advertisers and their planners need to change the way they build their media campaigns. Involved Media’s ongoing Connected Audience Study on connected video examines this in detail. As Involved Media’s Tess Erickson puts it, rather than focusing on one platform, advertisers should include “a little from each different bucket to be able to get the full audience you’re looking for.” Erickson cites FAST channels, VMPDs, SVODs and “of course, linear.” (MediaVillage: Dec 4, 2024)
BREAKING: PEOPLE LIKE BALLOONS, FLOATS, AND DOGS
For the second year in a row, NBC’s broadcast of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade delivered its largest-ever cross-platform audience. Last year’s 28.5 million was the previous all-time high, but last week hit 31.3 million—a 10 percent bump. This includes the live morning broadcast, its afternoon replay, and streaming views on Peacock. The initial airing, from 8:30 am to noon in all time zones, drew 23.6 million views. Excluding sports and news, it was the largest TV audience for any telecast in more than four years—since the 2020 Oscars. And viewers stayed with NBC for the National Dog Show, which also set a four-year high. (Hollywood Reporter: Nov 29, 2024)
THE RECALIBRATION OF TV
Not only is TV still alive and well—it’s thriving. It’s just different now, and the Advertising Research Foundation has called for a reboot of how we approach and talk about the medium. ARF has called their multi-year research study DASH—Universe Study of Device and Account Sharing. They investigated how consumers get their TV content via linear, SVOD, AVOD, or FAST Channel sources. DASH findings have already been put into use by measurement companies, and the hope is that this will eventually lead to a more realistic view of “Television” as it currently exists. You can read ARF’s white paper here. (MediaPost: Nov 25, 2024)
THIS WEEK IN VIDEO HISTORY
December 3, 1968 – Elvis’ Comeback By 1968, Elvis Presley hadn’t performed live in seven years, instead starring in a slew of films that grew increasingly forgettable. In the interim, there was a cultural sea change—the Beatles were dropping acid, Woodstock was a year away, and the King of Rock and Roll had been dethroned, a relic of a bygone era. That is, until NBC broadcast Elvis, now better known as “The ’68 Comeback Special.” It became the most-watched show of that TV season, scoring a 42 share. This more mature Presley was able to recapture most of the excitement of his heyday and gave his music career a resurgence.
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