Nielsen Launches Measurement for Mobile Ads on YouTube App

Nielsen said it has begun measuring the advertising appearing on YouTube’s mobile app.

YouTube viewing on desktops and mobile web browsers was previously measured by Nielsen, but with mobile usage growing into a dominant position, adding the app was important to getting an accurate picture of consumer behavior.

Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings clients will be able to get age and gender demographics for viewers on the YouTube mobile app, plus reach, frequency and gross ratings points.

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“As more people watch video across digital platforms and devices, Nielsen’s comprehensive measurement of YouTube through Digital Ad Ratings is crucial to provide a complete picture of media consumption,” said David Wong, senior VP of digital product leadership at Nielsen. “We are proud to be able to provide the market with an independent view of the audience for advertising on YouTube in context of the wider viewing landscape.”

Measuring ads on the YouTube app also helps producers of content for YouTube channels.

"With the ongoing shift of TV dollars to digital, and specifically mobile video, top brands and agencies are aggressively moving toward more measurable reach,” said Tariq Abouddafar, head of ad platforms at Tastemade. “Nielsen's ability to measure reach, frequency and GRP on YouTube mobile is a game changer as it allows us to expand our measurable YouTube inventory and audience guarantee, against Nielsen ratings."

(Photo via Esther Vargas's Flickr. Image taken on April 27, 2017 and used per Creative Commons 2.0 license. The photo was cropped to fit 9x16 aspect ratio.)

Jon Lafayette

Jon has been business editor of Broadcasting+Cable since 2010. He focuses on revenue-generating activities, including advertising and distribution, as well as executive intrigue and merger and acquisition activity. Just about any story is fair game, if a dollar sign can make its way into the article. Before B+C, Jon covered the industry for TVWeek, Cable World, Electronic Media, Advertising Age and The New York Post. A native New Yorker, Jon is hiding in plain sight in the suburbs of Chicago.