Alpha users of the integrated data applauded the collaboration, and EDO and Nielsen hinted that additional measurement tie-ups could follow.
“We’ve been working with Nielsen and EDO on outcomes-based measurement, and it’s a great step forward for our industry to see them join forces,” Rita Ferro, president of Disney Advertising, said in a statement. “As a premier alpha partner in Nielsen One’s new integration with EDO, we look forward to seeing a solution centered around performance.”
“By integrating Nielsen and EDO data into a unified view, WBD can be that much more effective at helping brands achieve optimal reach, frequency, engagement, and business outcomes,” Jon Steinlauf, chief U.S. advertising sales officer at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in the statement.
“The convergent TV marketplace needs increased collaboration across the board to solve complex measurement challenges that seem to evolve by the day,” said Sean Corcoran, U.S. CEO at Mediahub Worldwide. Nielsen and EDO’s “creative solution,” he said “minimizes complexity for brands and their agency partners, helping us plan and optimize high-impact campaigns with ease.”
While Krim declined to discuss integrations with Nielsen rivals, he indicated those are also possible in the future. And Thomas likewise indicated that Nielsen also is looking to integrate with more measurement partners ultimately.
“As we move forward in our Nielsen One journey to establish that as the currency of choice for cross-platform measurement, we want that to be the lifeblood of the industry and underpinning all kinds of measurement that drives value for publishers, advertisers and agencies. We don't just want it to sit within Nielsen and that to be the stop. We want it to be a bedrock upon which other things [are] built. And this is just the beginning.”
In a video interview with Ad Age last year, EDO co-founder (and actor) Edward Norton predicted the future of TV measurement will be more like the Justice League and less like “Highlander” with one dominant player, even after a likely private-equity backed rollup in the space.
“It feels like there’s an increasing consensus and comfort with the idea that the system is going to work with this basket of a few, really smart differentiated things,” Norton said, “as opposed to one oligopoly that they’re shackled to, and I think that’s really exciting.”