TV Ratings Undercount 29% of Hispanic Audiences, TelevisaUnivision Ad Sales President Says
Current TV ratings undercount 29% of U.S. Hispanic audiences, according to TelevisaUnivision U.S. ad sales and marketing president Donna Speciale.
“We all know today’s TV measurement is inadequate for our multiscreen world, and as a consequence, U.S. Hispanics have been undercounted,” Speciale said during the company’s upfront presentation Tuesday. “In fact, our audience is 29% bigger than currently measured. Yes, I said that, 29% bigger. And how do we get that figure? Because Nielsen just told us.”
To fill in the gaps, Speciale advocated for Nielsen’s new “panel plus big data” tabulation, which she notes will accurately represent “Hispanics and their many behaviors.”
The launch of the new product, which is billed to provide more specified by using data set-top boxes and smart TVs, was pushed from its expected debut during this year’s TV upfronts, instead of continuing to rely on traditional TV ratings while the new product undergoes accreditation. When the company announced the delay in April, Nielsen said its new product would be available during upfronts “for additional measurement during this transition for clients seeking to transact on it.”
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Despite not currently being accredited, Speciale urged advertisers and audience members to embrace the new system, pointing to industry leaders leading the charge.
“This is huge step for equity, and we’re not the only ones who recognize it — Several top media agencies are committing to transact on Nielsen’s new currency this upfront,” Speciale continued. “We’re asking all of you to lean into this dataset immediately. Please, let’s fix this problem today for good.”
In addition to Nielsen’s figures, Speciale also noted that up to 40% of U.S. Hispanics are missing in the third party datasets that marketers depend on to guide their business, which TelevisaUnivision has worked to counteract through a Hispanic household data graph, which Speciale says covers nearly 100% of Hispanic households in the US and is currently used by over 150 clients.
“There is no doubt that all brands will benefit from doing more with the Hispanic community, giving our community their fair share of your media spend,” Speciale concluded.
