Twitter TV Tracking Now 24/7: Nielsen

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Twitter is flooded with conversations about TV shows, and therefore, Nielsen has decided to track the television viewing habits of users of other than linear TV around the clock. This move from Nielson can be seen as a bid to please TV networks, which have been critical of the research firm of late. Hence, the research company is looking to make efforts and soothe the networks by developing new measurement data.

Nielsen to track Twitter 24/7

Nielsen already tracks social TV conversations through a partnership with Twitter. The company has released TV ratings since late 2013, tracking Twitter TV conversations and allowing TV networks and advertisers to know about whether people are talking about their shows and act accordingly. Until now, the research has been based around the live airing of TV programs, but now the research firm plans to move beyond that.

Lisa Berman, vice president of research and marketing at Nielsen Social, told TheStreet in a phone interview that, in the future, the company will switch to a 24/7 mode in which activities will be tracked on a 24/7 basis for linear and over the top programming. While giving the statement, Berman referred to Nielsen Social, a division started in 2012 after Nielsen acquired social TV metrics company SocialGuide.

Though primarily Nielsen tracks linear TV viewing data, it has already started reading DVR and on-demand TV viewing as well. “We’re ready to measure viewing on computers, smartphones and tablets. We’re gearing up to measure viewing on connected devices, including [subscription-based video on demand] SVOD content,” the company’s website read.

Restoring lost trust

Separately, Twitter shares spiked last week after the news that the company’s finance Chief Anthony Noto bought shares of the micro-blogging firm. Since the start of May, Noto has purchased 6,700 shares at a price ranging from $37.50 to $38, according to a filing with the SEC.

Previously, the micro-blogging site’s management received flak for persistent stock sales, and in response, they cut short their sales to regain the faith of investors. For the most recent quarter, the firm stood short on revenue against the consensus estimates and its own guidance. Also the micro-blogging site gave a weak outlook for the current and full fiscal 2015. Following this, many investors started losing faith in the company, but the recent move from Noto will certainly help the company win back some of the lost trust.

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