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CBS and Nielsen strike measurement agreement following impasse

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By Rebecca Stewart, Trends Editor

January 13, 2019 | 3 min read

CBS and Nielsen have ended their "contractual impasse", finally reaching agreement on a new measurement deal.

CBS and Nielsen strike measurement agreement following impasse

Showtime Networks, which is set to air shows like The Affair (pictured) will continue to use Nielsen’s Total Audience tools / CBS

The media owner has signed a new contract to use Nielsen's national, digital and local audience measurement services.

CBS Television Network, CBS Television Distribution, Showtime Networks, Smithsonian, Pop, CBS Sports Network and 27 other CBS-owned and operated local TV stations will continue to use Nielsen’s Total Audience measurement tools as part of the deal.

The financial terms of the deal weren't disclosed.

CBS and Nielsen had reportedly been in talks on a new contract for six months, but could not reach a new agreement before the deal expired on 31 December. The former lapsed deal was reportedly worth an estimated $100m.

On the new agreement, president and acting CBS chief executive, Joe Ianniello –who was named interim boss following the exit of Leslie Moonves – said: "It meets our strategic goals, and will allow us to benefit from important advances in measurement as they are rolled out."

He added: CBS programming is perennially the most-watched content rated by Nielsen, and there is significant upside ahead as next-generation advertising continues to flourish.

Brian Wieser, a senior analyst at Pivotal Research Group, had predicted earlier this month that the negotiations were"highly unlikely to end with anything other than a renewal" in the coming weeks.

"As flawed as Nielsen’s data is known to be, it is still commonly viewed as better than alternatives for what it attempts to do in providing demographic metrics associated with the viewing of local and national TV," he explained.

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