Nielsen has unveiled its theatrical VOD (TVOD) measurement service as a way to capture viewing to movie releases that are directly available to consumers to rent or purchase on demand through streaming/MVPD platforms.
Nielsen says that often offered at premium pricing, this rapidly expanding distribution model of film releases was accelerated by Covid-19 early in 2020 as content creators, such as studios, sought to offset disruption caused by social distancing mandates that temporarily closed cinemas across the US.
It adds that its TVOD measurement service will help clients uncover how many people are streaming this type of content in relation to other content options. It will also offer detailed demographic and behavioural information beyond what the standard box office metrics, transactional rental or purchase information often provides, allowing for audience-driven decisions in regard to licensing and promotion.
Streaming now accounts for nearly a quarter (23%) of total usage among OTT capable homes, up from 21% a year ago, and a much broader swath of consumers have enabled streaming capabilities, presenting a new opportunity to deliver this form of entertainment directly.
According to Scott N. Brown, GM audience measurement, Nielsen, “As this unprecedented pandemic continues to influence consumer behaviour, perhaps even through a prolonged state of recovery waves, being able to measure and help clients appropriately monetize new revenue streams has never been more crucial.
“A bigger question might be what will audiences do following any recovery, how the behaviour adopted during stay-at-home orders might influence habits when consumers have the ability to go back to theatres to enjoy that experience and how content creators will leverage data to make the best decisions regarding distribution platforms in the future”.
