Nielsen Expands Its 'Gauge' to Focus on Cross-Platform Reach By Distributor, and Disney Quite Likes the Tweak (Chart of the Day)
Even some of Nielsen's harshest critics are praising the media research company for a new iteration of its monthly "The Gauge" marketshare tracker that breaks down U.S. TV viewing share by media company, not platform.
And let's just say that while it conducts its Upfront presentation to advertisers in New York Tuesday, Disney is singing Nielsen's praises, too. According to the inaugural "Media Distributor Gauge," which measured all "glass" viewing of television in the U.S. among watchers 2 and older for the month of April, Disney controlled an industry-leading 11.5% of all U.S. TV usage for the month of April.
Pundits are lauding the tweak because it more usefully applies to the cross-platform way in which media companies conduct their advertising sales.
“With more programs available across platforms, it’s vital for creators, advertisers and the industry at large to understand what and where audiences are watching,” said Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen, in a statement. “The Media Distributor Gauge is a perfect complement to the The Gauge and serves as the first convergent TV comparison of its kind. Together, these reports paint the most complete picture of TV viewing today, which is critical as we head into the Upfront.”
Despite the many (well deserved) slings and arrows shot Nielsen's way, The Gauge remains a useful industry barometer for measuring the broad strokes of domestic TV consumption.
It's interesting to compare the April 2024 Gauge to the inaugural graphic, which measured usage for May 2021.
Compare cable television media networks' share of viewing, which is down nearly 10 full percentage points over 35 months. Streaming's share of the pie, meanwhile, is up over 12 percentage points.
