Nielsen put its Media Rating Council accreditation for national TV measurement on hiatus, raising the possibility of a bigger opening for rival measurement currencies in the multi-billion dollar market.

Nielsen framed the move in a statement as a way for it to, “concentrate our audit-related efforts on continuing to address panel concerns alongside the transformation of our national TV product and development of Nielsen ONE” cross-panel measurement.

The move comes amid an MRC audit prompted by complaints from TV networks that changes Nielsen made with its panel during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to continuing undercounting audiences, particularly among minority households.

“As we previously announced in November 2020, we are transforming our national TV products through the integration of big data sources and have committed to delivering impact data beginning in January 2022,” Nielsen said. The company also said it’s strengthening connected TV and streaming measurements as it prepares a single, de-duplicated cross-media measurement solution.

Nielsen didn’t disclose how long the hiatus might last, but said it remains “confident in the integrity of our data and measurement, and fully support the audit process.”

The VAB, a trade body representing TV networks, isn’t buying the back story.

“After months of Nielsen’s very public insistence that there was nothing wrong with their ratings data, but now facing a slam-dunk VAB case for accreditation suspension, Nielsen has essentially announced ‘you can’t fire me, I quit’ just hours before the MRC suspension vote process is activated,” the VAB said in a statement. “What cannot be evaded or dodged is the level of all-industry intervention coming to Nielsen with a mandate of change-or-die transparency needed for going forward with any real credibility. The VAB will be pursuing the case for radical Nielsen change with more voracity than ever.”

It’s unclear whether the ratings suspension could affect TV network contracts with Nielsen, the most lucrative business in media measurement. VAB CEO Sean Cunningham says the suspension is likely to be “a point of dialogue and contention,” but added that contractual issues are between Nielsen and the networks. One person familiar with the matter said the move won’t affect contracts.

In calling for the suspension last month, Cunningham says TV deals using Nielsen ratings would likely continue during suspension, albeit with added caution.

But Nielsen’s hiatus means its national TV ratings are currently just as accredited as any alternatives that networks may put forward for doing deals — such as those from Comscore and VideoAmp — which is to say not at all. Whether that will make advertisers more inclined to do deals using alternative measurements remains to be seen.

Cunningham says Nielsen’s hiatus is “an important development” in terms of Nielsen alternatives.

“This past upfront saw probably the largest use of other measurement and currency sets in an attempt to find more of a truth set on data,” Cunningham says. “I think this is just going to accelerate that. I think it evens the playing field by the suspension of accreditation, where there isn’t some theoretical loftier status of one of these four.”