Nielsen to Measure Viewership Through YouTube Smart TV App

Nielsen will start measuring YouTube viewership to help media buyers and sellers “better understand and verify audiences,” said the service Thursday. The initial phase will be enabled in the first half of 2021, beginning with YouTube TV and extending to the YouTube app on connected TVs in the U.S. shortly thereafter, it said. “TV is becoming more digital.” With more than three-quarters of U.S. homes owning at least one connected device and streaming accounting for 25% of total TV usage, the ratings tracker said “it's more important than ever to account for audiences across all platforms.”