Ratings company Nielsen has unveiled a new product designed to provide insight into just how many people are actually tuning in to content on Netflix.
As of its launch, Nielsen Subscription Video on Demand Content Ratings will only measure Netflix viewership, using a proprietary system that works independently of the SVOD. The company says it has plans to expand to other platforms.
The new offering relies on proprietary technology and data from Nielsen’s national TV panel, which includes 44,000 households and 100,000 people across the U.S. The ratings information will be available to subscribers of the service, which so far include eight TV networks and production studios, such as A&E networks, Disney-ABC, Lionsgate, NBCUniversal and Warner Brothers. It will measure viewership through connected TV devices, such as gaming consoles, Roku and smart TVs.
For its part, Netflix says the Nielsen data won’t paint a clear picture of its user’s viewing habits. “The data that Nielsen is reporting is not accurate, not even close, and does not reflect the viewing of these shows on Netflix,” the company said in a statement.
While Nielsen began measuring streaming content in 2014, subscribers could only see viewership information about their own content. Now they’ll be able to see how their programs fare against their competitors’, including Netflix originals, Nielsen said. Subscribers will also be able to share that information publicly.
According to a release about the product offering, subscribers will have access to information comparable to linear TV data, including, reach, frequency and demographic reporting.