Google is testing a new TV ad-tracking system in Kansas City. The technology is reportedly similar to that used for measuring online ad views. The system could represent the Holy Grail for today’s advertising since it potentially provides targeting on a scale never before made possible. While the gross ratings point based on Nielsen viewers remains the industry standard, relatively few households have Nielsen boxes. However, every Google Fiber subscriber has a Google Fiber box, which could be used to target consumers. Continue reading Google Fiber Tracking System Has Potential for Targeted Ads

Palo Alto-based BetterWorks, a company with funding and public support from venture capitalist John Doerr, has developed software that not only measures worker performance but also helps employees set individual goals to become more efficient in the workplace. The company’s software makes use of tactics and practices found in social media, fitness trackers and video games to encourage employees to set and accomplish goals in a process that is transparent to bosses and co-workers. Continue reading BetterWorks Designed to Track and Improve Work Efficiency

Nielsen reports that about two in five U.S. households currently subscribe to streaming video services. According to the measurement company’s latest Total Audience Report, about 36 percent of households were Netflix subscribers in November. Netflix indicates it now has 40 million paid subscribers in the U.S. Following Netflix is Amazon Prime at 13 percent and Hulu Plus at 6.5 percent, explains the Nielsen study, which also shows that streaming service subscribers spend significantly more time viewing content. Continue reading Streaming Video Subscribers Spend More Time Watching TV

According to a new report from eMarketer, digital-image bookmarking site Pinterest is poised to become the newest social favorite with advertisers since its users typically “pin” and “repin” items that paint a compelling picture of consumer interests. These interests often focus on specific products, services, travel ideas and other areas that could lead to purchases. The researcher suggests that 2015 will be a critical year to determine whether or not Pinterest can generate a serious advertising business. Continue reading New Report Points to Major Marketing Potential of Pinterest

Last week, iHeartRadio announced that it had reached over 60 million registered users. The streaming service is distinct from its competitors such as Pandora and Spotify in that it also allows users to access stations for free without the need to register. Only those who opt for listening to playlists and accessing more personalized features need to register with the service. This unique model makes it difficult to compare to Spotify’s 60 million active monthly users or Pandora’s registered 250 million users. Continue reading Milestone: iHeartRadio Exceeds 60 Million Registered Users

Measurement firm comScore will introduce a new metric this week that goes beyond tracking video audiences on desktops and laptops to additionally tracking audiences across mobile and streaming devices. The new metric is expected to provide advertisers and television networks with vital information that has so far been challenging to collect. The addition is part of a broader initiative by comScore to track shifting, more diverse viewing habits of consumers and better compete with ratings provider Nielsen. Continue reading New comScore Measurement to Include Mobile and Streaming

Marketers are still seeking better tools for tracking advertising data as they continue to experiment with approaches to mobile. Measurement firms Nielsen and comScore both made recent announcements regarding related initiatives. Nielsen is partnering with digital ad-sales firms BrightRoll and TubeMogul for a tech trial before expanding its Online Campaign Ratings to mobile, while comScore is expanding its Validated Campaign Essentials measurement product to track ads that appear on phones and tablets. Continue reading Nielsen and comScore Initiatives Highlight Focus on Mobile

Entertainment navigation company TMS and OTT middleware provider aioTV have announced an agreement that will bring TMS’ On Entertainment metadata to aioTV to help deliver enhanced functions to cable operator customers. The metadata will enable advanced search and discovery of aggregated live television, video-on-demand and online video in the multi-screen interfaces that aioTV creates for cable providers. The platform will be demonstrated at the National Cable Television Cooperative Conference this week. Continue reading TMS, aioTV Sign Deal to Deliver Advanced Search & Discovery

Marketing data and analytics firm comScore has announced a partnership with Google to help advertisers understand specifically who is looking at their advertisments, and optimize the ads in real time. This partnership will combine Google’s DoubleClick ad-serving platform and comScore’s Validated Campaign Essentials (vCE) technology for measuring ad performance. The vCE technology will measure how viewers are interacting with Google advertisements. Continue reading Google and comScore Combine Efforts to Optimize Online Ads

Digital marketing had a significant presence in 2013, when some of the biggest viral campaigns were rolled out and more money was flooding into Hollywood’s digital marketing budgets. Intent, interest and awareness levels among consumers could be accurately measured by sites such as Google, YouTube, Twitter and Facebook, specifically allowing for box office predictions — often predictions of great accuracy — in the early stages before films were released. Continue reading Social Media and Digital Marketing Show Box Office Impact

Time Warner Cable and Discovery Communications have reached an agreement that will allow the cable company’s subscribers to watch shows from the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet online. Discovery had previously been holding out on letting its shows be streamed because it wanted better ratings measurement for viewers on mobile devices. Now that Nielsen will soon make that data available, Discovery says it is on board. Continue reading Discovery Programming to be Available via Online Streaming

At the Business Insider’s Ignition conference in New York this week, Facebook revealed more of its plans to develop social TV advertising products. Justin Osofsky, Facebook vice president of media partnerships, discussed deals with broadcast networks, which were initially announced along with hashtags and verified accounts back in September. The social platform is trying to prove it is just as valuable as Twitter in real-time TV discussions, if not more so. Continue reading Facebook Plans to Compete with Twitter for TV Ad Business

Google is finally allowing Nielsen to put measurement tags on YouTube video ads, which will likely attract more advertisers to the site. Nielsen will be able to provide demographic information in partnership with Facebook, and marketers will be able to see how many people are seeing their ads, and how often. For two years, Google wouldn’t allow measurement tags on its ads, but the change of heart comes at a time when online ad sales are booming. Continue reading Google Allowing Nielsen Measurements for YouTube Videos

Kantar Media announced its plans to launch a TV audience measurement service based on data it will collect from more than one million set-top boxes. The syndicated Kantar Media Audience Advisor service, which will compete with industry leader Nielsen and other data firms such as Rentrak, intends to provide insights into viewer behavior, including program engagement and commercial ratings. Initial clients will include GroupM and Saatchi & Saatchi. Continue reading Kantar Media to Measure TV Audiences from Set-Top Boxes

Facebook will start sharing its wealth of user data with the major TV networks in an effort to compete with Twitter’s move into measuring social TV. Data that the company offers will be limited and stripped of users’ personal identifiers. Facebook hopes to provide data on users’ viewing habits and what they share regarding television shows. The company plans to increase its user base and boost ad revenue, and prove it is a useful service to TV broadcasters. Continue reading Facebook Shares Social User Data with Major TV Networks