Nielsen partners with Roku to measure OTT audiences

Nielsen will begin measuring ad delivery for over-the-top content delivered on the leading streaming device/software platform, Roku.

According to a joint announcement, made amid the NewFronts presentations to advertisers by digital video companies this week, the data will be made available through Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings service. 

The companies didn't reveal initial clients for the service, but it is known that CBS Corp. has signed on to measure deliveries on CBS All Access and CBSN.

Currently, about half of the top 250 channels on Roku are ad-supported. Roku has deployed more than 10 million platform-enabled devices in the U.S. The agreement doesn't cover program viewing over mobile devices.

And the service is different from a separate initiative being undertaken by Nielsen to measure viewing on SVOD platforms like Hulu and Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) Prime Instant Video. But measurement on the leading living-room-based streaming platform represents a significant step towards effective monetization of OTT content.

"Cross-platform audience measurement is critical for advertisers looking to leverage the trend of increasing over-the-top video consumption," said Megan Clarken, executive VP of global watch product leadership at Nielsen.

"Roku's move to bring advanced advertising measurement and delivery technologies to its platform is an important step in the progression of digital video distribution," Marc DeBevoise, CBS Interactive exec VP and G.M. of entertainment, sports and news, said in a statement.

For more:
- read this Nielsen press release
- read this Variety story

Related links:
Roku exec: There needs to be a shakeout of TV-connected devices
CBS All Access launches Roku app
Rating OTT audiences: What new measurement tech from Nielsen, Rentrak, comScore is finding