Nielsen Moves Toward Cross-Platform Audience Measurement

Nielsen Co. has told its media clients it will begin gathering Internet usage data before the end of the year from some households within the sampling that it uses for its traditional television audience measurement product.

The initiative is part of an effort to begin measuring TV audiences on the Web as more programming goes online and media companies seek to monetize audiences with cross-platform advertising. The plan comes as online video usage on sites like Hulu and TV.com is exploding with the rise of digital media, and advertisers and TV network owners have voiced frustration over the industry’s inability to measure audiences effectively across media platforms.