Nielsen Extends Measurement Deal For The YouTube Mobile App

• by Wayne Friedman , June, 2017

After the recent rollout of its YouTube TV service -- featuring live streaming of traditional TV networks -- the video platform has extended its Nielsen measurement deal for advertising on the YouTube mobile app. The goal is to lure in more big traditional brand marketers.

Nielsen says its Digital Ad Ratings will now provide cross-device measurement of advertising audiences on YouTube across all computer systems and mobile devices. Nielsen clients can have access to age and gender demographics on the YouTube mobile app, as well as reach, frequency and gross rating points (GRPs).

More than half of YouTube video views are on smartphones or tablets, according to the Google-owned video platform.

The YouTube video platform has used Nielsen for digital ad measurement since 2014 -- on desktop and mobile Web browsers. In January 2016, Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings became available in DoubleClick Bid Manager and DoubleClick Campaign Manager.

“As more people watch video across digital platforms and devices, Nielsen’s comprehensive measurement of YouTube through Digital Ad Ratings is crucial to provide a complete picture of media consumption,” stated David Wong, SVP of digital product leadership at Nielsen.

In February, comScore began providing YouTube mobile-viewing metrics to its partner channels.
Increasingly, through their media agencies, more traditional TV marketers have bought media schedules on YouTube -- especially through Google Preferred, which aggregates YouTube's top content for easy-to-buy packages for big brand advertisers. Like its regular TV buying, it is also Nielsen-rated.

The YouTube mobile app deal comes after the start of a marketing push in April for YouTube TV -- a digital/Internet package of live, linear TV networks.

Already signed on to the service are many traditional broadcast TV networks -- ABC, CBS, Fox and NBC -- and some big cable networks, ESPN, USA, and FX.