ComScore Has Big Plan To Challenge Nielsen

Crossplatform ratings are like the holy grail of the media world. Everyone wants them. Many companies have pledged to deliver them. But they’ve proven much more difficult to produce in a timely and useful manner.

Now, according to Media Life magazine,  comScore says it’s going to start offering them, and soon, in a big challenge to Nielsen. The comScore announcement comes just weeks after its merger with Rentrak was approved.

Rentrak provides set-top box data that, combined with comScore’s digital measurement, will be used in the new ratings.

Serge Matta

During a conference call with investors on Wednesday, comScore laid out an ambitious schedule to roll out cross-platform measurement for early April.

The ratings will include television, over-the-top services and digital viewing, and they’ll be released monthly.

Data samples will include all cable, telco and satellite operators in the U.S.

During the conference call, comScore chief executive officer Serge Matta said clients and potential clients have been eager to see the new ratings. In fact, he said some had criticized the company for moving too slowly.

Not surprisingly, Nielsen was quick to respond to comScore’s news.

“Nielsen has the only total audience measurement, comparable across all screens, available to the market now. All of our data is fully representative of the U.S. population, and we deliver truly independent measurement,” the company said in a statement.