Experian marketing data will be used alongside the Nielsen Identity System platform to provide identifications for open web measurement, increasing coverage and interoperability by supporting audience measurement across screens and devices.

Nielsen said that integrating Experian marketing data would allow Nielsen to match person-level data to devices, which would boost the scale and accuracy of demographic distribution for reported impressions for its audience measurement and outcomes tools.

The initiative builds on the two companies’ longstanding relationship, where Nielsen already uses demographic data from Experian in connected television services.

The move comes as the third-party cookie is phased out, with major firms including Apple and Google having committed to finding an alternative to cookies in the near future.

The agreement with Experian comes ahead of the expected launch of Nielsen One in late 2022, which aims to unify Nielsen’s audience measurement products, as part of a plan to fully transition the industry to cross-media metrics by autumn 2024.

Mainak Mazumdar, chief data and research officer at Nielsen, said: “This expanded agreement with Experian immediately enriches Nielse’s Identity System in the US, and showcases our commitment to independent measurement and marketplace interoperability.

“This is an important milestone as we continue to evolve our technologies and methodologies as we move toward Nielsen One.”

Aimee Irwin, senior vice-president of strategy and partnerships at Experian Marketing Services, said: “Experian’s goal is to enable privacy-forward identity in the marketing ecosystem, helping brands build smarter audience strategies and powering more robust cross-platform measurement.

“We are excited to expand our longstanding strategic partnership with Nielsen, bringing addressability at scale through connectivity and interoperability across the ever evolving identity landscape.”

Agreement with Cox Media
Nielsen has also agreed a multi-year renewal agreement for television and audio measurement services with Cox Media Group, a US-based television and radio operator.

The deal will cover Nielsen measurement service provision for 10 full-service television markets and local radio stations in 10 radio markets.

CoxReps, a nationwide network of media professionals, is also included in the agreement.

Nielsen Local Media Impact has been licensed by Cox Media Group radio stations in Atlanta, Houston, Jacksonville, Miami, Orlando, San Antonio and Tampa in the US to help optimise advertising campaigns.

The agreement also renews access of Cox Media Group radio stations to Nielsen Scarborough, which provides local market research and measures 2,000 market categories.