Nielsen DAR Back Under MRC Review

In the US, accreditation body the Media Rating Council (MRC) says it has commenced a new audit of Nielsen's Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) service, including for the first time the firm's measurement of mobile devices and connected TV (CTV).

DAR was in a 'hiatus' period from September 2020 to September 2021, requested by Nielsen due to planned changes to DAR's measurement methodology in late 2020 and into 2021. Before the hiatus it was accredited for its measurement of desktop display and video Total Gross Rating Points, and for age/sex demographic breakouts for audiences aged 13+. A hiatus, in the MRC's definition, is 'a formal status designation in which a service is allowed to temporarily step away from
audits for up to 12 months to permit certain actions or service improvements to be implemented outside the normal audit and accreditation process'.

The MRC suspended Nielsen's national and local TV ratings services in September, and despite a strong focus on its 'Nielsen One' cross-platform service, due in H1 next year, Nielsen CEO David Kenny has expressed confidence the accreditation will be restored 'in months'. The suspensions leave only one Nielsen service accredited, its national and local radio audience measurement system Nielsen Audio.

The new accreditation process is likely to continue into the Fall of 2022, with the CTV elements among the last to complete.

Web sites: www.nielsen.com and www.mediaratingcouncil.org .