Nielsen’s Accreditation Status Remains Suspended By MRC

Measurement is still broken at Nielsen, at least according to the audit committee of the Media Rating Council. The MRC voted to maintain the suspension of accreditation for Nielsen’s national ratings, according to a letter sent to clients viewed by Adweek. It’s been over a year since the MRC stripped Nielsen’s accreditation after the measurement giant admitted to lowballing audiences nationally and locally early in the pandemic, potentially costing clients millions of dollars. “The audit committee voting on the status of Nielsen's national television service has been completed,” the MRC wrote in its client letter. “Members voted in favor of retaining the current suspended status and holding our consideration of accreditation open.” Nielsen Strikes Measurement Deal With Amazon for Thursday Night Football The communication also stated that a meeting originally scheduled for Monday will be rescheduled, where Nielsen will directly address the audit results with the audit committee. The MRC will also provide Nielsen a “list of material non-compliance situations and open areas, including the relevant commitments made by Nielsen with the committed timing for each.” That list will be used to establish a timeframe to reestablish the measurement company’s accreditation. Nielsen referred Adweek to the MRC when asked for comment. Reinstatement 'may occur relatively soon' “It is profoundly disappointing that someone has shared a confidential document that presents only one side of the story of our ongoing engagement on Nielsen’s National TV service. While it is true the existing suspension of MRC accreditation remains in place at the current time, it is also true that we believe Nielsen has made significant progress on most of the issues that led to that suspension, and MRC continues to actively work with Nielsen on a path to address the remaining issues so that a consideration of reinstatement of accreditation to the National TV service may occur relatively soon,” David Gunzerath, svp and associate director of the MRC, said in a statement. The continued suspension of Nielsen’s accreditation comes ahead of the launch of Nielsen One, set to debut in December. The cross-platform tool is designed to enable publishers and marketers to transact on a single metric across linear and digital platforms. “The post-audit decision to deny re-accreditation for Nielsen’s national panel ratings service is first: reflective of the ad market mandate for vastly improved cross-platform video measurement and currency; and second: a neon ‘N1 not ready’ sign,” said Sean Cunningham, president and CEO of the Video Advertising Bureau, referring to Nielsen One. “The national panel is the second foundational piece of N1, along with ‘Big Data’, that failed their N1 auditions and appear to have a long way to go as key drivers of N1’s stated purpose and promise. We’re united with advertisers in our shared desire for thoroughly modern cross-media measurement, just as the entire ad marketplace is also loudly insisting that both the pieces and the whole have to be held to higher standards,” Cunningham added.