VideoAmp Withdrawn from Accreditation, MRC Confirms

US standards body the MRC says VideoAmp has removed its ratings from the audit / accreditation process, although it will reassess the position in 2027. In addition, Nielsen has withdrawn accreditation for its Nielsen One Ads service, pending the introduction of new methodologies.

The MRC (Media Rating Council) said in its quarterly accreditation status report that the two services were no longer under review, but clarified the situation for each company. Earlier reports had suggested merely that VideoAmp 'did not intend to continue' - with no date specified for reassessment. In the case of Nielsen, it said only the Ads component of Nielsen One was being withdrawn, not the whole of the new unified platform. Nielsen also said earlier this month that it was placing accreditation for its Nielsen Audio diary service on hiatus for six months, with methodological updates underway. Although the reasons sound similar, the status of the two Nielsen services seems to be different, with no specific mention of a time period or a hiatus for Nielsen One Ads.

VideoAmp is one of three ratings providers (alongside Comscore and iSpot) to earn initial accreditation from the 'JIC' formed by an alliance of broadcasters and OpenAP in 2023. The two bodies (MRC and JIC) have denied they are in direct competition, acknowledging that the newer organisation's process is intended to move faster and be less rigorous: 'While the JIC is focused on evaluating the transactional readiness of national, cross-platform, measurement solutions the MRC goes much further in conducting intensive audits of measurement methodology'.

The companies are online at www.videoamp.com and www.nielsen.com . The MRC, which audits more than 100 research products, is online at www.mediaratingcouncil.org .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.