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Hulu and Youtube TV Viewing Are Now Included in TV Ratings

2 minute read | July 2017

We are excited to announce that viewing from Hulu and Youtube TV will now be measured and reported through Digital in TV Ratings (DTVR), contributing to C3/C7 currency. DTVR launched in 2015 and provides a method for programmers and buyers to account for all viewers across desktop and mobile devices.

DTVR combines the digital viewing of Live, DVR and On-Demand TV with the traditional linear TV audience metrics, which will enable us to measure audiences watching linear TV through Hulu and YouTube TV on desktops, tablets and smartphones. Whether it’s a computer or mobile device, if a viewer watches a program on these services and sees the same commercials that ran when the program first aired on TV, we will be able to count their viewing into the program’s standard TV ratings. And, as long as this digital viewing occurs within the three- or seven-day window, this viewing will contribute to the C3/C7 currency that media buyers and sellers transact on for advertising on TV.

Nielsen Digital in TV Ratings

Introducing viewership for TV programming streamed on Hulu and YouTube TV into our TV ratings is a big milestone for us. We can now provide a more accurate and comprehensive audience view, enabling our clients and the broader industry to more effectively monetize content across platforms.  

“The inclusion of eligible TV viewership from Hulu  and YouTube TV viewership in C3 and C7 through Digital in TV Ratings is a major accomplishment in delivering Nielsen Total Audience to the marketplace,” said Megan Clarken, President of Product Leadership at Nielsen. “We are proud to be able to deliver this solution to our clients as part of our commitment to provide trusted, independent measurement of the evolving modern media landscape.”

“We built YouTube TV to bring the most popular ‘must watch’ TV to today’s video ​streaming audiences, ​and we’re already seeing that ​live TV represents the majority of time spent watching on the service. Our network and advertising partners will benefit from Nielsen DTVR measurement of Y​o​uTube TV,” said Heather Moosnick, Director of Content Partnerships for YouTube TV.

“Our goal is to make it possible for viewers to watch their favorite shows whenever and wherever they want—and be able to measure that viewership. We are pleased with Nielsen’s launch of this capability and look forward to the new insights it enables,” said Cindy Davis, EVP Consumer Experience of Disney-ABC Television Group. 

Wanda Young, SVP of Marketing and Consumer Engagement from sister company ESPN, added: “This move represents an important step forward toward complete cross-platform measurement, and we are encouraged by Nielsen’s efforts to capture viewing across the shifting media ecosystem—particularly among the growing number of partnerships between programmers and digital distributors.”

Learn more about Nielsen TV Ratings and Nielsen Families.