Nielsen, DIRECTV to Develop Measurement Metrics for Interactive TV

Hoping to expand its audience measurement skills beyond one-way video, the Nielsen Co. today announced a deal with DIRECTV to develop information that will enable the duo to understand the daily viewing behaviors, trends and characteristics of customers who use DIRECTV’s interactive TV services.

In developing its new metrics for measuring interactive usage, Nielsen explained it will use aggregated and anonymous clickstream data from a new television measurement panel of 300,000 DIRECTV interactive customers. Information from the test could lead to an enhanced consumer experience and the creation of more valuable interactive opportunities for advertisers.

DIRECTV said that unless customers provide consent through an opt-in process, DIRECTV only provides viewing data on an aggregated and anonymous basis.

Already popular and generating new ad revenue for operators outside the United States, interactive TV is designed to strengthen bonds between subscribers and service providers by engaging them in their programming with features including control of camera angles, selecting windows on multiple sporting matches, polling and voting.

Advertisers see interactive TV as a potential boon as it enables subscribers to interact with a new generation of commercial, with capabilities allowing viewers to click to request additional information, be connected to a Web site, or launch a video demo.

Where Nielsen can play a huge role is in measuring this interactivity as advertisers and their media buying agencies want some quantification of their ads’ effectiveness – or lack thereof.

“As the DIRECTV interactive TV space continues to rapidly evolve, we need to develop a complete and accurate understanding of how our customers use these services,” said Eric Shanks, executive vice president for DIRECTV Entertainment. “Through our test with Nielsen we hope to develop the usage information our programming and advertising partners need to take full advantage of our interactive platform and reach their target audiences in a truly unique way.”

The agreement is the first of its kind to be announced since the creation of Nielsen DigitalPlus, a new service created by Nielsen to help clients better understand information opportunities available through consumer interaction via digital set-top boxes.

“This agreement with DIRECTV is an exciting new opportunity to gain valuable insight into how new technology is influencing the behavior of interactive satellite subscribers,” said Scott L. Brown, senior vice president for Nielsen. “The television industry is at the very beginning of understanding the uses and applications of expanding digital services. Nielsen is using our full resources to help clients create valuable new uses for their digital information.”

DIRECTV Inc. www.directv.com  

The Nielsen Co. www.nielsen.com

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