Networks Mull Next Steps After Nielsen Rejects Audit Request

An industry group representing the major television networks is mulling its next steps after Nielsen rejected its demands to evaluate and potentially retroactively change its measurement of TV audiences over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic. The Video Advertising Bureau (VAB), which represents companies like A+E Networks, Disney, Fox, NBCUniversal and ViacomCBS, demanded last week that Nielsen undergo a third-party audit evaluating the veracity of its pandemic audience numbers. On Friday, Nielsen refused in a lengthy statement, saying that it already participates in annual audits with the Media Rating Council and that a single audit, rather than several, is the best approach for the industry. So far, the VAB’s response has been a scathing rebuke of Nielsen. “Nielsen’s refusal to take any type of action, in the face of a research-backed request from its key industry stakeholders, is profoundly disappointing and a massive disservice to a TV marketplace that has had a stellar track record for collaboration and transparency,” VAB CEO Sean Cunningham said in a statement. “This response—or lack thereof—denying a third-party evaluation of its Covid data is a glaring negative outlier from the market’s currency provider and partner." Update: Monday afternoon, the VAB told Adweek in a statement that it is "weighing all options that bring greater accuracy and transparency to the TV marketplace.” Cunningham and the VAB’s remarks are the latest development in the ongoing feud between the companies after the VAB charged the measurement firm with “systemically under-counting” television audiences over the course of the pandemic earlier this month. The disagreement hinges on how Nielsen maintained its at-home panel households while home visits and in-person maintenance was hamstrung by pandemic-related safety protocols. The VAB charges that Nielsen’s panel quality deteriorated over the course of the pandemic because technicians could not visit homes and ensure that the data coming in was accurate. However, Nielsen maintains that its panel, which did shrink slightly during the pandemic, offered sound data worthy of the industry standard-bearer, and that other factors, like tepid programming lineups and shifting consumer habits, are to blame for audience declines. Upfront implications The back and forth could have major implications for broadcasters during this year’s upfront talks, as the previous year’s audience figures are often used for planning and rate setting. Nielsen has pushed back against the VAB’s charges and said that its measurement is sound. “We have been clear and transparent with the [Media Rating Council] and our clients on every change in protocol we needed to make during Covid to keep our people and panelists safe,” the company said in a statement. “The decisions we made adhered to federal, state and local government guidelines as well as at the recommendation of medical experts.” Nielsen also urged networks to reach out to the Media Rating Council if they have further concerns. “Our work with the MRC, the independent body created for this very reason, is ongoing and should serve the purpose of an independent audit,” the company’s statement reads. “Since VAB members are also MRC members, they should feel free to engage directly with the MRC.” Read Next: TV Networks Demand Third-Party Audit in Escalating Feud With Nielsen

TV Upfronts

Networks Mull Next Steps After Nielsen Declines Demands for a Third-Party Audit

VAB has been seeking a retroactive pandemic audience recount

Kelsey Sutton

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Kelsey Sutton