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Nielsen Statement on Initiating MRC Hiatus for National TV Ratings Service

2 minute read | August 2021

Availability and Delivery of Ratings Will Not Change As Enhancements Roll Out

Yesterday, Nielsen proactively initiated the accreditation hiatus process for its National TV ratings service with the Media Rating Council (MRC). While we remain confident in the integrity of our data and measurement, and fully support the audit process, we believe that moving to a hiatus allows us 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.

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. We are also strengthening our CTV and streaming offerings as we prepare to launch a single, deduplicated cross-media measurement solution. We are committed to delivering these capabilities to meet our clients’ needs.

As it relates to the panels, which continue to be a core element of our measurement, we remain focused on recovering our panels for the future. Since March, we’ve been working diligently to get our panel back up to full strength by increasing panel size, improving demographic representation and addressing panel maintenance. We’re applying key learnings from the last 18 months and are actively making adjustments to our field operations that will inform our processes as we prepare for possible impact from surging COVID-19 variants, while also diligently ensuring the health and safety of our panel homes and people.

We believe hiatus is the best course of action at this time and will allow us to focus on innovating our core products, continuing to deliver data that the industry can rely on and ultimately creating a better media future for the entire industry.

About Nielsen

Nielsen Holdings plc (NYSE: NLSN) is a leading global data and analytics company that provides a holistic and objective understanding of the media industry. With offerings spanning audience measurement, audience outcomes and content, Nielsen offers its clients and partners simple solutions to complex questions and optimizes the value of their investments and growth strategies. It is the only company that can offer de-duplicated cross-media audience measurement. Audience is EverythingTM to Nielsen and its clients, and Nielsen is committed to ensuring that every voice counts.

An S&P 500 company, Nielsen offers measurement and analytics service in nearly 60 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com or www.nielsen.com/investors and connect with us on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.