Twitter Nielsen TV Ratings launch with Ten and Nine only networks to sign on
The Nielsen Twitter TV Ratings (NTTR) were officially launched last night with the Nine Network joining Network Ten in signing up for the service, as the social network confirms it is in discussions with video streaming services about the new metric.
However, Network Seven, the ABC, SBS and Foxtel are yet to sign up to the new platform, which hopes to help TV companies monetise the audience engagement with advertisers, and give media buyers a new metric to help decide which shows to back.
The local launch comes after the NTTR has already been rolled out in a number of countries including the USA, UK, Japan and Brazil, typically with the locally approved online ratings provider.
Speaking to Mumbrella after the event, Twitter global head of TV creative Fred Graver said: “Twitter was not designed to be like a second screen app, but it works as one. About four years ago we really began to see a lot of people talking about their favourite TV shows on Twitter and the networks began to notice there was a lot of talk about shows on Twitter.
As a senior agency buyer who was at first prepared to give Twitter the benefit of the doubt, I am now thoroughly convinced (after several campaigns) that Twitter’s media value is small relative to other social media options, let alone the broader media landscape. Its capacity to ‘move the needle’ in either brand or performance terms is virtually non-existent, regardless of the length of the campaign. In terms of active monthly accounts, I estimate that there are less than 250,000 ‘tweeters’. I’m very happy for Twitter to refute that estimate with their own fact-ladened response.