What were the ratings for last night’s show? It depends who you ask.
Where did it air? Did it actually air or was it a stream? Was it both? Was it syndicated on local stations or was it a network broadcast? Was it on premium cable, SVOD, or something else? Did all the local network affiliates clear it or was it preempted in some markets? Were the preemptions in major markets or just some outliers?
Where is the single source of truth? Whose ratings can you trust? How do you set prices? What are you actually paying for? What metrics will you use to calculate ROAS?
Nielsen has been part of the answer to most of these questions for as long as anyone can remember. Yesterday, the Media Rating Council (MRC), a third-party industry watchdog, officially suspended its accreditation of Nielsen. Said differently, the MRC no longer trusts some of Nielsen’s numbers. Can you? Here’s Nielsen’s response.
Author’s note: This is not a sponsored post. I am the author of this article and it expresses my own opinions. I am not, nor is my company, receiving compensation for it.