Paramount Global, Nielsen sign new partnership, ending dispute

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(Reuters) – Media giant Paramount Global and Nielsen have signed a new deal that would see the research firm provide measurement and analytics services across the CBS parent company’s platforms, ending a long-running dispute.

The multi-year deal, effective immediately, includes measurement for Paramount’s national and local broadcast, cable networks, and streaming on Paramount+ and Pluto TV.

Paramount has also licensed new Nielsen services as part of the agreement including Advanced Audiences, ad-supported streaming platform ratings to help form advertising, programming and licensing strategies.

“We are thrilled to resume our partnership with Paramount,” said Karthik Rao, Nielsen CEO, adding that the deal will be a “win for everyone: Nielsen, Paramount and all of our joint advertising partners.”

The media company had ended its partnership with Nielsen last year, deciding not to renew a contract that expired on Sept. 30, according to a Variety report.

The companies were in renewal discussions for months, the report said, but could not agree on pricing terms. In the interim, Paramount used a different measurement firm, VideoAmp, a rival to Nielsen.

“This really is not about affordability. It’s about getting the value we need for what we pay,” Paramount Global co-CEO George Cheeks had said during the company’s last earnings call in November. “… we wouldn’t want the Nielsen fee for certain networks to be greater than the ad revenue those networks actually generate.”

Music’s Grammy Awards was broadcast live on CBS on Sunday and the viewership for Golden Globes on CBS, Paramount+ and the CBS app averaged 10.1 million people in January, according to VideoAmp.

(Reporting by Juby Babu in Mexico City; Editing by Maju Samuel)