Paramount Global has struck a deal with Nielsen Media Research for access to the measurement company’s data and analytics products.
The deal comes several months after Paramount dropped Nielsen at the expiration of its contract in favor of utilizing measurement solutions for VideoAmp. The cost of Nielsen’s services factored into the decision.
Those concerns have apparently been assuaged, with Nielsen and Paramount working together once again. As part of a new multi-year agreement, all of Paramount’s media properties will be measured by Nielsen, and they will have access to Nielsen’s data and analytics.
The deal includes CBS, Paramount’s cable networks like MTV and Nickelodeon, the streaming service Paramount Plus and free, ad-supported streaming platform Pluto TV, among other properties.
“We are thrilled to resume our partnership with Paramount, as their leaders continue to build one of the strongest brands in entertainment,” Karthik Rao, the CEO of Nielsen, said in a statement. “Our trusted data shows how Paramount’s content and advertising strategy is thriving across every platform, across all ages and demos. As Paramount continues its evolution into a next-generation media company, we’re proud to play a critical role and know this deal will be a win for everyone: Nielsen, Paramount and all of our joint advertising partners.”
“Paramount and Nielsen are committed to addressing television’s multiplatform future to the benefit of all of our stakeholders. Karthik and his team continue to meet the needs of our marketplace across all our platforms, and we are incredibly pleased to reinforce and reinvigorate our deal with our longtime partner,” George Cheeks, the President and CEO of CBS and a co-CEO of Paramount, said on Monday. “Paramount Global’s ratings wins reported today are just one of many successes we look forward to with Nielsen as we build upon this new future together.”
While Paramount has not had direct access to Nielsen’s data and analytics platforms, Nielsen has continued to measure various Paramount products over the past few months, including CBS, Paramount Plus and Pluto. The streaming platforms were included in Nielsen’s “The Gauge” report for November and December, the two months during which Paramount utilized VideoAmp’s measurement data, and programming aired on CBS — including the National Football League’s holiday and playoff games — were measured by Nielsen’s Panels & Big Data product.
