SAG-AFTRA has cut a deal with the measurement and analytics firm Nielsen to be a third-party provider of streaming content measurement.
The Nielsen data — from its Streaming Content Ratings service — will “complement first-party data from streaming platforms and serve as a consistent and comparable lens through which the performance of streaming titles across various distribution platforms can be analyzed,” the companies said in the announcement.
When SAG-AFTRA cut a deal with the studios in November to end the prolonged actors strike, it included a streaming bonus for shows on platforms like Netflix, Prime Video and Peacock that are bona fide hits. The deal saw the streamers agree to release some data privately to the union to help gauge what shows are hits, and which are not. The Nielsen deal suggests that the union wants to be sure there is another party involved for “forecasting and enforcement.”
“New business models require new tools, and that’s why we’ve enlisted Nielsen,” said SAG-AFTRA national executive director & chief negotiator Duncan Crabtree-Ireland. “The information they provide will give us the means to cross-check the data streamers give us and ensure employers are fulfilling their contractual obligations to our members.”
“The rapid evolution of the media landscape and audience behaviors over the past decade has not only affected how content is consumed and measured, but also greatly impacts the financial models on which the entertainment industry operates,” added Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao. “We are incredibly proud that SAG-AFTRA has chosen Nielsen as the source for objective and consistent audience measurement insights in the streaming space.”
Nielsen is in the midst of transforming its business to adapt to a streaming-first world, where third-party measurement can be challenging thanks to walled gardens and consumers watching programs on phones, computers, smart TVs and through devices like Roku sticks.
Many traditional TV companies have also sought to partner with other measurement firms in recent years, like Comscore, iSpot, EDO and VideoAmp to broaden the number of companies that help track the viewership of programs and efficacy of ads.
For SAG-AFTRA, however, the deal is also a safeguard against the data provided by the streaming services, to help keep them honest, even if the numbers may not converge exactly.
