Nielsen Launches Analytics Service to Measure 'Inclusive Content'

Nielsen launched Gracenote Inclusion Analytics Wednesday to provide visibility into the gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation of talent appearing in TV programming and the audiences watching it. The offering gives content creators, owners, distributors and advertisers data on on-screen diversity and representation to enable “more inclusive content,” it said. The service combines Gracenote global video program metadata and Studio System celebrity race and ethnicity data with TV ratings and subscription VOD content ratings data. It also delivers metrics on how different identity groups are featured in programming “and how evenly this reflects viewing audiences,” the company said. A challenge for the entertainment industry is to “ensure the talent associated with popular TV programming mirrors today’s increasingly diverse viewing audiences,” said Sandra Sims-Williams, Nielsen senior vice president-diversity, equity and inclusion. Democratizing information on representation in content can “push the industry toward better balance and a more equitable future,” she said.