Nielsen Wins Australian IAB Tender

Following a long tender process, online ad association IAB Australia has chosen Nielsen as sole supplier of digital audience measurement services in the country, for three years from January 1st 2015.

The existing system of measurement will receive a 'comprehensive overhaul,' with enhancements covering mobile audience measurement, and deeper, more flexible and more granular local reporting. Smartphone and tablet ratings will be added in Q1 2015; cross-digital ratings for desktops, smartphones and tablets in July 2015; daily ratings for digital content including video, in early 2016.

Nielsen is the incumbent supplier of the ratings, having first achieved preferred supplier status in 2011. The latest tender process began in April 2014, with IAB receiving 23 expressions of interest and comScore, GfK, Roy Morgan Research and Nielsen selected for the second round. By September the list was down to two contenders, Nielsen and GfK. IAB's Technical Review Group, headed by independent chair Ian Muir, said Nielsen had wound up the preferred candidate 'by a significant margin' with the most accurate, robust and credible measurement data. The analytics giant's 'particular strengths in mobile measurement' were a major factor.

Alice Manners (pictured), CEO of IAB Australia, says the appointment and plans 'place Australia at the forefront of digital audience measurement globally and will help IAB ensure our industry remains transparent and healthy in years to come.' She continues: 'Our industry has experienced considerable growth in the last couple of years to reach 37% of total advertising expenditure this year and I have no doubt that this growth has been supported by the quality of digital audience measurement. With the rollout of the new system, I see this growth soaring...' Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of IAB in the US, says the latest decision means Australia 'builds on the strength of its early introduction of hybrid methodology combining large data sets and media quality panels.'

Monique Perry, Head of Nielsen's Media Industry Group in Australia, said her whole team had 'fought hard' for the contract and was 'ecstatic to be chosen'.

Web site: www.iabaustralia.com.au .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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