Media execs could be a step closer to finding out how many people are watching House of Cards on Netflix
Netflix and other streaming services have kept their actual viewing numbers close to their chest but these un-checked days are numbered now that Nielsen is now tracking who's watching what on these services.
The measurement firm is months into an initiative that allows it to finally monitor almost 1,000 shows on streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime, according to the Wall Street Journal. While limited in its scale for now, the US-based scheme offers up viewing numbers for shows as well as gender and age information. It does not however, track international subscribers or those who stream shows from mobile devices.
Netflix and its peers have been less than forthcoming in sharing their streaming data as they look to frame the narrative of their growth around subscriber numbers.
Additionally, there’s the issue of the impact having more data on what people like to watch on streaming services could have on how much they pay to license content from studios. For example, if broadcast and movie executives could see how popular their shows were on Netflix then they could arguably charge higher prices for their content at a time when their revenues are stuttering amid shifting viewing behaviours. According to the Wall Street Journal, Netflix already gives some of its biggest licensers access to data as part of their deals though Nielsen can now offer more detail to a wider breadth of observers. However, Nielsen’s data could also potentially work in Netflix’s favour, giving it greater cause to renegotiate licensing deals for those shows not as popular.
There’s the possibility that more streaming data will show how popular Netflix’s original shows really are, which could throw a spanner in the works in regards to building out its own production offering should they not prove as successful as it would like the industry to believe. Producing its own shows and films works out cheaper for Netflix than licensing content and so the business wants to become more reliant on the former to grow.
Netflix questioned the quality of the service after Nielsen revealed its plans last year. The streaming service’s executives have highlighted how the system can’t monitor streams on mobile streams or international viewing.