NBCU certifies first round of Nielsen measurement alternatives

NBCUniversal is certifying eight companies in audience measurement, expanding a prior certification for iSpot.tv and adding additional companies in streaming, digital and local audience measurement, verification, ad catalogs and ad serving.

ISpot, which previously had been certified for measuring ad impressions and was part of a cross-platform measurement test during NBCU’s Winter Olympics coverage in February, emerges from the field of “currency contenders” as a full-fledged certified provider for cross-platform audience measurement. ISpot got an additional certification from NBCU for its ad catalog, an automated system that detects and classifies ads as they appear in programming across video platforms.

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Comscore gets similar audience measurement certification from NBCU for local markets. NBCU has 43 NBC and Telemundo-owned stations, six regional sports networks and other local properties.

For streaming and digital audience measurement, NBCU has picked Conviva. And in audience verification (i.e. rooting out fraudulent traffic), segment heavy hitters DoubleVerify, Oracle’s Moat and Integral Ad Science (IAS) were chosen.

For ad serving, FreeWheel, which like NBCU is owned by Comcast Corp., joins independent Innovid among certified companies.

The list is a culmination of a request for proposal process last year, which drew more than 120 responses. It covers the “transactional” side of the RFP.

Notably absent from the list is Abcarian’s former employer and industry heavyweight Nielsen. But NBCU still has a contract with Nielsen and they will undoubtedly be doing deals on Nielsen’s panel-based TV ratings in the upfronts at the insistence of buyers. 

“As we head into the upfront season, we wanted to make it clear that, at this moment in time, we will be transacting against our certified cross-platform partner, iSpot.tv,” said Kelly Abcarian, NBCU executive VP of measurement and impact; advertising and partnerships, in a statement. “However, these additional eight certified companies play an important role in the interoperable ecosystem of currency, including streaming viewership capture, ad serving, audience verification and ad catalogs.”

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Abcarian noted that “this isn’t the end of our process” and that certifications aren’t “set in stone.” She encouraged companies not yet chosen to keep trying.

The next phase of NBCU’s process, which initially included a detailed look at companies contending for currency status in audience measurement, will focus on measurement of impact and business planning.

Certifications in the “impact” category are coming in the third quarter, Abcarian said. That covers measurement of the impact media buys have on brand sales, search or website activity, and guarantees against such business outcomes.

“This is the starting point of an entirely new measurement era,” Abcarian said in her statement. “It’s about more than just new technology. It’s about a new beginning. For the first time, our advertisers can get a unified cross-screen view that provides a complete picture of their ad’s performance across all screens, in almost real time. And ready for action and transaction—right now.”