Xandr offers six Nielsen measurement alternatives for TV ad deals

Xandr, the latest player to hop on the alternative currencies bandwagon, is creating a currency buffet with six measurement firms beyond industry heavyweight Nielsen available for testing or writing advanced linear TV deals in the coming upfront negotiations.

Xandr is setting up what it calls a “standardized and flexible data framework” with data providers that include 605, Comscore, EDO, Samba TV, TVision and VideoAmp.

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It’s a mix that goes beyond more common alternative audience measurement choices offered by many networks like Fox Corp., Paramount, Disney Advertising and NBCUniversal.

Xandr's list includes EDO, which provides outcome measures based on how TV ads affect online search activity, as well as TVision, a panel provider that can measure audiences of streaming services, even when they don’t permit the capture of viewer data via automated content recognition (ACR). It also plays a role in developing person-level estimates for other firms, such as VideoAmp, that draw data from household devices.

Xandr’s measurement framework will be available through its buy- and sell-side advanced TV platforms Invest TV and Monetize TV. Xandr is a unit of AT&T, but its sale to Microsoft, announced in December, is awaiting regulatory approvals in the U.S. and Europe.

The impetus for offering so many alternatives stems from “the seismic shift from a single to multi-currency TV marketplace,” according to a statement from Xandr, and aims to shorten the process of onboarding new data sets for audience segmentation, which “typically requires significant time and extensive product development.”

“Activating these data sets for trial and evaluation, especially as we approach the 2022/23 upfronts, must be made easier,” said Mark Mitchell, VP of business development for Xandr in a statement. “Xandr is making investments to power the adoption of new currencies and propel the industry forward.”

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“We welcome this move towards making video impressions more accountable in the advanced TV space,” said Bharad Ramesh, executive director for research and investments of WPP’s GroupM in a statement. “Giving advertisers flexibility in their choice of measurement partners and on measurement outcomes is a clear step forward.”

Support for multiple data provider segments via Monetize TV “will allow us to easily and quickly evaluate and utilize new data currencies, while offering insight into how various data can optimize TV schedules across our linear networks,” said Casey Gould, senior VP of ad sales and advanced advertising at Crown Media, and that this “ultimately bolsters our linear business."