Lionsgate's MovieSphere: First FAST Channel for Nielsen Linear TV

Lionsgate's MovieSphere: First FAST Channel for Nielsen Linear TV Metrics

• by Wayne Friedman , Today

Lionsgate’s MovieSphere has become the first FAST (free ad-supported streaming TV) channel to make a deal with Nielsen for traditional linear TV audience metrics.

Nielsen will provide Lionsgate with detailed demographic data on MovieSphere’s audience where the network can determine viewer reach, viewing duration, advertising/program frequency, and other audience indicators.

MovieSphere has seen viewership rise by 87% in first quarter of 2024, resulting in an average of about 123 minutes per viewer, according to Nielsen.

FAST channels have seen major growth the past few years from rising streaming TV advertising spending, helping marketers to regain reach lost by traditional cable TV networks succumbing to cord-cutting. Major FAST channels include Tubi (owned by Fox Corp.); Pluto TV (owned by Paramount Global); and Roku Channel (owned by Roku Inc.).

“The FAST market is growing rapidly, demanding more solutions to understand how people are engaging with FAST channels,” said Amilcar Perez, chief revenue officer of Nielsen, in a release.

MovieSphere is available on 18 streaming platforms, including Samsung, Roku and Pluto TV, and it will be available on nearly 20 platforms before the end of the year. 

Jim Packer, president of worldwide television distribution for Lionsgate, said: “By bringing proven linear TV metrics to the FAST space, Nielsen is providing us with a valuable and innovative tool to benchmark performance, evaluate what’s working and respond quickly to our audiences.”