Warner Bros. Discovery and Nielsen are expanding their partnership as part of a new multiyear pact. The HBO Max owner plans to adopt additional measurement capabilities available via Nielsen’s Advanced Audience suite focused on cross-media planning beginning next year, according to a press release. Warner Bros. Discovery will also continue to lean on Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel as the currency for its upfront planning, an occasion when large spending commitments are brokered with advertisers and agencies.
A deeper relationship with Warner Bros. Discovery notches a win for Nielsen, which has contended with a fleet of upstart measurement competitors as the rise of streaming shakes up its business. Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel, which combines data from connected TV devices with the firm’s traditional consumer panels, earlier this year received accreditation from the Media Rating Council, an important milestone. Last November, the firm also got the MRC stamp of approval for its first-party live streaming solution.
Nielsen’s offerings are primed to “better capture performance and viewership across all screens” in a way that will optimize ad spend and inventory, said David Porter, head of ad sales data, insights and research at Warner Bros. Discovery, in a press statement.
“At WBD, our priority is to provide clients the most reliable tools and actionable insights to better reach their audiences and maximize their campaigns’ effectiveness,” said Porter in the announcement.
Warner Bros. Discovery has made other moves to enrich its approach to measurement this year. In July, it broadened its work with VideoAmp, a Nielsen alternative, through a three-year deal that covers linear, digital and cross-platform campaign measurement.
The entertainment giant has been grabbing headlines for other reasons this week. The recently formed Paramount Skydance is apparently preparing a bid for the company, The Wall Street Journal reported, citing sources familiar with the matter. Warner Bros. Discovery was itself the product of a mega-deal after WarnerMedia was spun off by AT&T and then merged with Discovery Inc. in 2022.
