TVB Applauds Nielsen Move To Mobile Meters

After Nielsen disclosed yesterday that it has changed its procedures in reporting mobile viewing from self-reported behavior to actual metered behavior, Stacey Lynn Schulman, chief research officer of the TVB, responded,  “Nielsen’s shift in is a wake-up call to marketers, brands and advertisers. It’s clear that consumers do not accurately assess the time they spend with media.”

it instituted a change in methodology for measuring and reporting mobile video based on consumers’ actual behavior as monitored by device meters. Previously, Nielsen relied upon claimed behavior in consumer surveys for this important growing consumer segment and therefore restated fourth quarter 2012 data for comparative purposes with the most recent quarter.

Schulman added: “The restated data, based on actual metered measurement, indicates that consumers overstated their time spent watching video on mobile phones by 538%. TVB has been tracking the report’s findings for several years to better understand the implications of the data beyond the quarter-to-quarter comparisons. The benefit of TVB’s historical tracking allowed the trade organization to compare the restated metered data to prior behavior claimed by consumers.”

“The differences are striking, not only in comparison to TV, which based on metered data reached 155 hours and 32 minutes of monthly time spent, but in the degree of overstatement that consumers report versus actual device monitoring. This disparity is an important reminder of the dangers inherent in trusting consumers’ claimed behavior and calls into question many recent studies that have proclaimed the demise of traditional media based on self-reported approximations of time spent with digital devices,” Schulman added.

Schulman concluded, “We are pleased that Nielsen adjusted its mobile measurement methodology. The Fourth Quarter 2013 Cross-Platform Report re-affirmed television’s role as the dominant medium based on Monthly Time Spent measured across all other metered viewing platforms.”

TVB also highlighted various findings from Nielsen’s 4th Quarter 2013 Cross-Platform Report here.