VAB asks Media Ratings Council to Suspend Nielsen’s Accreditation
As widely reported in AdAge, Variety, Adweek, The Wall Street Journal, B+C and more, VAB formally requested Nielsen's MRC accreditation for their national TV service be revoked due to multiple, major and persistent violations
To maintain the integrity of the currency used to transaction billions of dollars of ad revenue, VAB has been actively monitoring Nielsen’s sample since we discovered systemic issues during Covid. (For more background on our initial round of discoveries please click HERE). Our initial investigation led to an independent MRC audit, revealing significant under-reporting of viewership.
Although Nielsen has taken steps to rectify the issues with its sample, our current analysis proves issue persist. With nearly 18% of respondents still missing, the sample still does not accurately represent the TV viewing population, particularly diverse and younger homes.
As a result, The VAB, on behalf of its publisher and distributor members, submitted an in-depth 10-page document to the MRC detailing specific violations committed by Nielsen starting in March 2020 extending through today.
To learn more about the issues with the sample, the root cause of the panel problems, the financial ramifications on the industry and our recommended path forward click HERE.
We’ll share more information as the situation evolves. As always, our goal is to ensure a transparent, accurate marketplace for both buyers and sellers.
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