During the “Fans are changing the game” webinar hosted by Nielsen Sports, Davide Usubelli, Consulting Analyst at the company, revealed that, in the U.S. market, 13% of sports viewing time comes from fans aged 18-34 – almost double the figure for 55+ viewers (7%).

Speaking at the webinar as well, Tatiana Scherbina, Strategy Manager at Nielsen Sports UK, noted that “while the overall number of people [globally] claiming that they are interested or very interested in watching sports is not declining, the composition of those people is what is changing.”

She notes that 2019 saw an almost equal demographic split between sports fans who were within the millennial or generation z age groups (55%), compared to fans who were in the age groups of generation x or baby boomers (45%). In 2021 however, younger fans constituted 61% of the total number of sports fans. These findings were based on surveys conducted across global markets, including: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, India, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Spain, UK, and the U.S.

Scherbina said: “This is important as generation z is known to be first generation that grew up with gadgets, while millennials were introduced to gadgets as early teenagers. They are the most digitalised generations ever, and with these ages group now representing six out of ten people expressing interest in sports, the challenge for rights holders is to translate that potential interest into real consumption. Rights holders and brands need to evolve their content proposition to unlock the most effective ways of engaging with this group.”

Usubelli argued that engaging younger audiences through original programming, and across different sectors – such as e-sports – is important to continue growing fan-bases. He cited Nielsen’s prediction that engaging generation Z could grow the global generation z sports fan base by up to 2% in the next 18 months – from 25.2% to 27%.

Reflecting on changing viewer behaviour and preferences around sports, Scherbina argued that ancillary content is increasingly gaining demand when compared to live events. A recent study by Nielsen shows that the demand for non-live sports content related to a live sports event (content such as announcements, highlights, recap videos etc.) is now “almost at the same level of demand  as for the live event itself”, with 39.39% of global fans saying they would watch this type of ancillary content (only 1.21 percentage points below the proportion of fans saying they would watch the live event itself.) For fans aged 16-29, the percentage willing to watch this type of ancillary content is even higher – 43.59%.

Fans are also willing to watching non-live content that is not related to a live sports event (such as documentaries, behind the scenes, virtual events etc.) 34.24% of total global fans said they would be willing to watch this type of ancillary content, as well as 39.77% of global fans aged 16-29.

Scherbina believes that the significance of this is that it is “important for content creators to guarantee fan engagement through the development of a rich content plan, to be distinctive compared to other entertainment sources, and to bundle together different fan interests.”

Usubelli outlined the explosive impact of TikTok on social media engagement for sports. Nielsen research shows that, across the top ten most followed European football clubs, the engagement rate with their content on TikTok averages to 3.26%. This is 10X higher than the engagement rate they experienced on Instagram (0.83%), Twitter (0.1%), and Facebook (0.05%).

Nielsen reports that: “When the UEFA Euro 2020 was postponed to summer 2021, TikTok joined as a sponsor just four months before the championship began. With an array of activations developed with UEFA during the tournament, views of #football on TikTok have nearly doubled from 70 billion to 130 billion since the sponsorship was first announced.”

Usubelli remarked that interest in women’s sports is increasing, however “coverage is not keeping pace with the fandom”. According to research from Nielsen Sports, the percentage of U.S. viewers who said they were interested in the women’s NBA (WNBA) is 17%, while 32% said they were interested in the (male) NBA – approximately 2X more. Despite this, the NBA receives 4X the average number of seconds of coverage on SportCentre per game.

The company stated that measurement partners will need to incorporate feedback from the buyside (as well as input from the Association of National Advertisers), and gain universal acceptance and utilisation by all of GroupM’s media partners. Measurement partners will also need to provide traditional and digital partner coverage, while creating space to add new metrics (such as attention).

The company also affirmed the need for “fair and accurate audience representation” from its measurement partners and that they “move towards standardisation and greater transparency.” This requirement includes undertaking the MRC audit process, if they are not already accredited by the body. GroupM also wants its measurement partners to share new commercial models to fund measurement.

Kirk McDonald, CEO of GroupM North America, said: “Marketers are leaning into new tools and technologies to bridge the measurement gap, raising important questions about the accuracy and sustainability of panel-based measurement as changes in the digital media environment continue to accelerate beyond one currency.

“Outlining expectations with our measurement partners and working together to implement standards is critical to create real change that makes advertising work better for our clients and to better track our progress towards client growth goals.”

Matt Sweeney, Chief Investment Officer of GroupM US, commented: “The industry requires a robust measurement solution that can solve the problem of cross-screen reach and frequency and is representative of how consumers watch video. The industry agrees that panel-dependent measurement needs to shift to a transparent path built on a stable, reliable methodology and a foundation of proven technology, which captures the shift in viewer consumption habits.”

The company says that, for the 2022/2023 Upfronts and for the following year, it will continue to transact using Nielsen data, while alternative currencies (which include outcome-based approaches for some clients) will be used to shadow Nielsen deals. It is currently testing a range of measurement solutions – including iSpot, Comscore, Videoamp, and Nielsen One Alpha – with over a dozen of its largest clients, including: Unilever, Nestle, Ferrero, Domino’s, and Mars.

Nielsen says: “For example, if an automotive advertiser launches an ad campaign for a new vehicle and the target audience is competitive brand purchasers, the advertiser will be able to see the reach and frequency of the campaign among those segments. Alongside that data, the advertiser can see how effective the campaign was at delivering outcomes.”

Initially, the solution will integrate Polk automotive audience segments by S&P Global Mobility, followed by additional groups and audiences – including client first party segments. The first set of outcomes data will reflect the attribution metrics for consumer packaged goods, with the following set focused on automotive campaigns.

Karthik Rao, Chief Operating Officer at Nielsen, said: “We continue to make tremendous progress to bring cross-platform metrics to market by the end of this year, following the initial launch of Nielsen ONE Alpha.  And we continue to innovate our solution to add more features, while bringing in additional metrics that matter most to marketers.

“By previewing advanced audiences and outcomes measurement alongside reach and frequency metrics, we are helping marketers with a next generation solution where they will be able to better understand the value of the investments they are making, the targeted audiences they’re reaching, and the actions being taken in a single view.”

Nielsen ONE Alpha will have general availability at the end of 2022, with these new features remaining in alpha form upon introduction into the user interface in the following year.

Gracenote believes the solution enhances content discoverability and enables more personalised viewer recommendations from services. The company cites Nielsen data which shows that, in April 2022, streaming reached record heights as a proportion of total TV viewing, representing 30.4%. The solution enables aggregators to better act as a “one stop shops for viewers who are increasingly turning to new, free services” according to the company.

Simon Adams, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote, said; “As consumers look for free ad-supported TV content to complement their on-demand services, easy integration and discovery options become more important than ever for aggregator platforms. By solving for these challenges, Gracenote Streaming Channels Data helps platform customers work towards optimizing their user experiences and securing their positions as go-to destinations for viewers.”

The dataset is currently available to service providers in the U.S. and Europe.

The transaction includes a 45-day “go shop” period where the measurement company can solicit other acquisition offers. The agreement also stipulates that should Nielsen terminate the agreement in favour of a better deal, Nielsen would be required to pay a $102 million termination fee to the private equity consortium. After news of the transaction broke, Nielsen’s stock price rose by 20%.

James A. Attwood, Chairperson of Nielsen’s Board of Directors, said: “After a thorough assessment, the Board determined that this transaction represents an attractive outcome for our shareholders by providing a cash takeout at a substantial premium, while supporting Nielsen’s commitment to our clients, employees and stakeholders. The Consortium sees the full potential of Nielsen’s leadership position in the media industry and the unique value we deliver for our clients worldwide.”

Dave Gregory, Managing Partner, Brookfield Business Partners, commented: “Nielsen is deeply embedded in the media ecosystem and a trusted service provider to its customers. As a private company, Nielsen will be even better positioned to deliver the best measures of consumers’ rapidly changing behaviours across all channels and platforms. We are pleased to invest in this iconic company and help lead the industry into the next generation of audience measurement.”

The company has now said it will also be making 4,000 series episodes available to viewers for free in the U.S., with at least 100 new movies and episodes per week. Titles added in March include Legally Blonde, Runaway Bride and Gone in Sixty Seconds. Many of the titles will be available in high definition 1080p with 5.1 surround sound audio on supported devices.  

In addition to the AVOD expansion, YouTube hopes to help viewers more easily discover titles by launching a new streamlined navigation for its CTV app, along with immersive banner art. The company cited Nielsen data which shows that, in December 2021, the online video platform reached over 135 million people on connected TVs in the United States.

Roku says OneView is attractive to advertisers because it combines Roku data from its streaming platform, ad space from The Roku Channel, and Roku ad experiences that “go beyond the traditional TV spot.” The company also believes that audience guarantees on OneView, ahead of upfronts, will make it easier for marketers to plan and measure an entire TV streaming upfront with apples-to-apples measurement to linear TV.

Additionally, media sellers that use OneView as a demand source can use proprietary data signals from Roku to enhance the accuracy of their own audience guarantees and therefore waste fewer ad impressions to meet them.

Tyler DeNicola, Vice President of Programmatic Revenue and Partnerships at A+E Networks (a media and entertainment company and broadcaster) said, “A+E Networks is excited to work with Roku to utilise its OneView Ad Platform audience measurement capabilities for our clients, and to help advance the industry as a whole. Now we can offer brands improved performance, less waste and new guarantees across our streaming ad inventory.”

In 2015, Roku adopted Nielsen guarantees for its TV streaming platform and last year the two companies announced a strategic alliance geared towards shaping “the future of media measurement and TV advertising in a streaming-first market”. Since then, Roku has acquired Nielsen’s Advanced Video Advertising business, including the audience measurement company’s video automatic content recognition (ACR) and dynamic ad insertion technologies (DAI). The acquisition occurred as Roku has sought to accelerate the launch of an end-to-end DAI solution, enabling TV programmers to replace traditional TV ads with targeted ads in real-time.

Louqman Parampath, VP of Product Management at Roku said, “We believe that all TV ads will be streamed and that all TV ad measurement will be automated. Now, upfront advertisers in OneView will be among the first to see audience overlap across major devices, channels, and publishers on their plan. Our goal is to offer diverse tech and measurement offerings that move the industry forward”.

Streaming Signals integrates Nielsen’s gold standard panel data with custom machine learning models to identify who is in the household based on historical viewership data. A signal is then sent to CTV operators within 50 milliseconds of the viewer tuning into a programme, alerting them to who is most likely currently watching. From there, the CTV provider can deliver ads which are better targeted based on person-level demographics.

“For example” Nielsen says, “if Sons of Anarchy is being watched within a household, the 35-year-old male likely watching the show will be shown an auto ad instead of yogurt ad, giving CTV operators the ability to sharpen ad deliver from their inventory.”

Nielsen believes the solution will allow marketers to make faster, more optimal choices while targeting ads, reducing wastage and increasing the reach of their campaigns. Additionally, CTV ad inventory which is more accurately packaged and facilitates real-time targeting should boost revenues for media owners. Combining Streaming Signals with Nielsen’s Digital Ad Rating (DAR) – a deduplicated audience measurement solution which gives clients insight into the age and gender demographics of viewers reached in CTV campaigns – is an effective way advertisers/CTV operators can ensure ad accuracy and relevance, according to the company.

“Nielsen Streaming Signals brings a layer of unmatched real-time, person-level demographic precision to audience optimisation,” says Ameneh Atai, General Manager of Digital and Advanced TV, Nielsen. “We know that the media industry is going through accelerated change, switching to a streaming-first approach, and with an audience watching programming whenever, wherever, and on a number of devices. Nielsen is the only one that is unbundling the household because we are the only ones that sit at the intersection of the streaming behaviour and audience data.”

The conversation began with a reflection on how the pandemic affected brands and the advertising trade. Patel emphasised the deficit of initial insight which could help brands navigate uncharted territory. He said: “I think the pandemic for many clients was tough, and rightly so. You didn’t know whether to stick or twist. There was little to no insight into how you deal with spending during a crisis.” Freedman highlighted the difficulties facing certain brands, when greater ad spend could not translate into increased sales in the short-term. Automotive manufacturers, for example, faced the dilemma of needing to maintain their brand, but simultaneously, retailers were closed, customers could not test-drive vehicles, and consequently, ad spend would have little effect on car sales. She posed an important question: what do marketers do when they can’t simply spend in order to sell product?

Happily, the plummeting of ad spend appeared to have been a short-term phenomenon. Grimmer referenced the recent WARC report that showed strong recovery for the UK ad trade, with spending on advertising reaching £7.7B in Q2 2021 – an increase of 86.5% from the previous year. He asked the panelists what factors they believed drove this remarkable bounce back. Nasr said that, while spending on Twitter by media buyers in Q2 2020 took a nosedive, the recovery was much quicker than he had anticipated.

One reason for this was brands’ greater access to information, insight, data and established econometric tools. This gave advertisers more confidence to spend, as well as time to test and experiment with advertising strategies in new market conditions. Another factor was the trade’s dawning realisation that there did not appear to be an end to the pandemic in sight, and no one was sure when the global economy would return to a state of normality.

Patel echoed this point, speculating that a greater number of companies understood that constricting their marketing budgets would have long-term detrimental effects on brand health. In the case of Sky Broadband, he said, “We haven’t been on brand for a year, so we knew if we continued, it would be a big problem.” Freedman recalled how the “fear of silence” became felt acutely not only by marketers, but the C-suite, who recognised that while savings could be achieved easily by cutting ad spend, the performance of their brands in the long term might be endangered.

Aside from the fear of silence, Patel explained that ad spend increased partly because the media cash that brands would have usually spent, but had saved instead, was released into the market as the pandemic progressed, and media buyers had access to lower entry points. He also praised marketing teams for building the case that ad spend during a crisis, when other brands are more reluctant to invest, gives initiative-taking brands a disproportionate share of voice in the market.

The view that advertising is an investment and not a cost was perhaps put most emphatically by Stacey, especially in the case of brands who are not only attempting to secure market share, but also to create a market from scratch. She said, “We should be arguing with FDs [Finance Directors] that the amount of money spent on advertising launch should be discounted over a certain amount of years like any CapEx. That’s a job for all of us.”

In October  last year, Nielsen – a data and market measurement firm – released a report estimating that, on average, it takes companies three to five years to recover equity lost because of halted advertising, and long-term revenue can drop 2% for every quarter a brand continues to stay silent.

Gracenote’s Video Popularity Score is calculated by looking at TV show airings, theatrical movie releases, viewership and ‘awareness signals’ from Gracenote and Nielsen, plus data from external sources.

Based on these inputs, a numerical score is generated to represent the general population’s recognition of TV series or movies. These scores can be used by entertainment providers in their smart guides to identify and prioritise popular content.

The solution is part of Gracenote’s Advanced Discovery suite of metadata products, which were built to help pay TV providers, OTT services and consumer electronics device makers connect viewers to TV shows and movies.

“Gracenote continues to help customers deliver optimal entertainment discovery experiences wherein viewers are connected to the movies and TV shows they want with the least amount of friction,” said Simon Adams, Chief Product Officer at Gracenote.

“Our new Video Popularity Score empowers entertainment providers to identify and put the most relevant, watched and talked about TV shows and movies front and centre.

“By enhancing content targeting, Video Popularity Score allows for sharper search results, highly topical recommendations and more relevant viewing options from cold-starts where data on user preferences or previous consumption is not available.”