Nielsen Delays Sunsetting C3 And C7 Data Another Year

• by Wayne Friedman , October 27, 2023

Although the Nielsen One cross-platform impression-based service is still on track to debut in September 2024, Nielsen says its now venerable C3 and C7 ratings "currency" media-buying metrics will be around for another year.

Those panel-based measures -- the average commercial minute ratings for three and seven days of time-shifted viewing based from around 40,000 households -- were due to stop at the time the new cross-platform Nielsen One platform is scheduled to start up for the new 2024-2025 TV season in September. 

The panel-based measurement will continue for at least another year, according to the company.

The continued popularity of C3 and C7 currencies during this past TV upfront advertising selling period in the summer slowed down the push for new “alternative” currencies, which were expected to come online then.

Deirdre Thomas, chief product officer at Nielsen, reportedly said buyers and sellers are not ready to give up C3 and C7 currency.

Nielsen released the first C3 ratings data for TV viewing for the 2009-2010 TV season.

Now, until next year, Nielsen will offer traditional panel-based audience measures (C3/C7) as well as new 'Big Data" impression-level measurement for clients who desire it, according to media agency executives.

"Big Data" comes from cable, satellite, telco, and virtual pay providers from TV set-top boxes and other technology, as well as TV set manufacturers, who offer automatic content recognition (ACR) data. Total 'Big Data' households are now at 45 million. 

Starting in September 2024, Nielsen One, the company’s new cross-platform measurement effort, will be launched -- offering this new, more granular, impression-level measurement and planned to be the single currency Nielsen offers to the marketplace. This data will be validated by its people-based panels and ACR data. 

Panel-based-only measurement based on some 40,000 households will go on as well, after September 2024, Nielsen says, with "data to be offered for historical purposes in an effort to aid in our clients transition to evolved measurement sets." 

Nielsen says Nielsen One can offer better accuracy with impressions as well as reach and frequency data. Impression data -- as compared to more general ratings data -- helps media buyers and sellers square linear and streaming viewership.  

Recently, Nielsen has made a 'Big Data" ACR/Smart TV deal with LG, and has made similar deals with Vizio as well as other platforms including Roku, Dish Network, and DirecTV.  It is also adding Comcast Corp. return-path, set-top-box data.

In addition, Nielsen will offer an Individual Commercial Metrics data stream available for transactions, and will provide impact data as planned later this year.

Nielsen has initiated an audit of this service with the Media Rating Council.

This story has been updated.