MRC Auditing Nielsen's 'Digital Ad Ratings,' Adds Phases For Mobile And CTV

• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, Today

The Media Rating Council (MRC) today announced it has begun auditing Nielsen’s Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) measurement service, which put its accreditation on “hiatus” beginning in September 2020.

The MRC said the audit includes four phases, including one covering Nielsen’s originally accredited service covering desktop display and video ratings, as well as new ones covering audience measurement coming from mobile and connected TV (CTV) devices.

The first of the new audit’s reports, focused on Nielsen’s “Snapshot” identity graph solution, which is now integrated into the DAR service, was delivered in November for an MRC audit committee to review.

Reports covering additional phases of the audit are are scheduled to be delivered throughout the first half of 2022 and will likely span into the fall.

“MRC plans to issue updates on the statuses of other significant in-process audits in which we are engaged over the coming weeks and months, and additional updates on Nielsen DAR as events warrant,” the council said as part of its statement.

The news follows the MRC’s suspension of accreditation for both Nielsen’s national and local TV ratings services in September, though Nielsen CEO David Kenny has told shareholders and Wall Street analysts in September that Nielsen would regain it “in months.”

Nielsen, of course, has been consumed by the development of its new cross-platform measurement service, dubbed “Nielsen One,” which is expected to launch in the first half of 2022.

Currently, the only Nielsen service actively accredited by the MRC is Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron) for both national and local radio audience measurement.