Nielsen is lastly getting some optimistic recognition.

The Media Ranking Council (MRC) reinstated its accreditation of Nielsen’s nationwide TV rankings this week, 19 months after suspending it for undercounting viewing in the course of the pandemic.

The MRC reversing its determination demonstrates that Nielsen “has what it takes to be within the TV forex recreation,” Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen’s viewers measurement division, advised AdExchanger.

And Nielsen very a lot must remind the business of that reality if it hopes to win out towards all of the competitors that cropped up when it fell. In any case, Nielsen nonetheless has an extended method to go to regain the belief of an business that’s already shifting forward with different choices.

With Nielsen ONE, the rankings large is in the midst of transitioning towards impression-based measurement as an alternative of panel-based measurement. It additionally plans to debut its industrial rankings utilizing large information at this 12 months’s upfronts, which have but to earn third-party accreditation.

To not point out the corporate’s accreditation for native rankings remains to be within the auditing course of and stays suspended.

Rao spoke with AdExchanger.

AdExchanger: What does this reaccreditation imply for Nielsen?

KARTHIK RAO: This can be a main second for Nielsen. The business actually pushed us to enhance since our accreditation was suspended in 2021, and it’s been tireless work since then.

However we all know that accreditation is the one approach the business can belief what makes up a forex. And now we’re again to being the one accredited service for nationwide rankings within the nation.

What did the reaccreditation course of entail?

It took a whole lot of effort from us. The MRC has essentially the most rigorous requirements for advert measurement and forex.

Not solely did we’ve to make modifications to make sure we had been adhering to those requirements, however we additionally needed to endure over 25,000 hours of audits from a 3rd occasion to show that the modifications we made had been working. It’s a really empirical course of that culminates in an MRC vote.

Why did MRC solely reaccredit Nielsen’s nationwide rankings and never native measurement?

The MRC didn’t select to maintain native accreditation suspended. Solely our nationwide rankings had been up for reaccreditation after finishing the auditing course of.

Our different measurement companies are nonetheless present process audits, together with digital and audio, as a result of the precise requirements and the timelines for auditing are all completely different.

Does this imply Nielsen’s industrial rankings that embody large information are additionally present process a separate audit?

Sure. We need to ensure that each single product we put out undergoes this rigorous verification course of.

Why is Nielsen sticking to its plan to transact media on rankings with large information in the course of the upfronts, even when unaccredited?

Shoppers on the purchase and promote aspect are those who determine what they use for upfront commitments. Our job is to place out the capabilities that purchasers are asking for and persuade them we’ve made vital enhancements to our methodology.

To what extent does reaccreditation for Nielsen’s nationwide rankings assist show this level to purchasers?

Reaccreditation not solely creates confidence that Nielsen has what it takes to be a forex, however solidifies the truth that Nielsen meets very excessive requirements as the one business physique that’s been doing TV viewers measurement for many years.

This interview has been edited and condensed.