Despite growing competition and big tech firms consolidating audience data, Nielsen still holds relevance, according to Rao. “We provide the best measure of what audiences are doing in terms of consuming content and ads. We provide the best metadata to create discovery experiences. Those things endure. However, with the amount of fragmentation in experiences, the need for us to keep up is very high.”
Also Read | JioHotstar partners with Nielsen for third-party ad measurement starting IPL
The rise of the creator economy is a prime example of how audience consumption has shifted. “Even three to five years ago, we weren’t talking about the creator economy at scale. But today, independent creators—one-man studios, one-woman studios—are hugely influential. If you think about the US elections, you see how powerful this model is, across video and audio. We need to measure all forms of media that people spend time with. That’s where we are evolving,” Rao told Mint.
Rao, who operates out of the company’s New York headquarters, is in India to inaugurate new offices in Mumbai and Bengaluru.
From measurement to technology: A cultural shift
Rao acknowledges that Nielsen has historically been perceived as a measurement company but is now actively shifting its identity. “We used to be called the measurement company. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll be known as a tech company. That’s the journey we’re on. Our investments in AI, machine learning, and proprietary data technology are at the core of our evolution.”
Also Read | FMCG volumes grew slower in June quarter; rural outpaces urban market: Nielsen
He also admits that the company has been slow to evolve in the past, but emphasizes that significant progress has been made. “There is an element of truth to that. We have been slower to evolve, but the progress we’ve made in the last 18 months has been significant. The kinds of partners we now work with and the pace at which we are developing new capabilities have dramatically changed. We’re not where we need to be yet, but we are laying the right foundation.”
Big Tech and the relevance of third-party measurement
With platforms like JioHotstar, Google, and Amazon amassing vast troves of first-party data, does Nielsen still hold its ground? Rao believes so. “Why would JioStar in India, Google, Amazon, or even TikTok in the US want to work with us? Because an independent third party creates trust in the marketplace. The real question for us was how to evolve our product to bring together the best of our proprietary data and first-party data while maintaining independence.”
Also Read | FMCG sales, volumes rise in September quarter: NielsenIQ
Nielsen’s approach has been to marry its deterministic data with first-party and third-party inputs. “We can’t be constrained by fragmentation. Instead, we are turning it into an advantage by auditing, accrediting, and standardising data. This allows advertisers and media owners to make informed decisions,” Rao said.
The ‘Broken Promise’ of cross-media measurement
A long-standing industry challenge has been the promise of cross-media measurement—an elusive goal in India. “A currency is defined by the buyer and seller. In the US and other markets, our solution—Nielsen One—is already in place. It offers deduplicated reach and frequency across platforms. In India, however, the focus right now is digital and streaming. The market needs measurement solutions for digital-first consumption before moving to a comprehensive cross-media model.”
BARC India, the joint industry body in India, continues to be the dominant measurement system for television. “We have a joint venture with Kantar called TAM, which has been around for a long time and does innovative analytics. But we believe that digital and streaming measurement are the bigger challenges to solve right now,” he said.
India as a tech and iInvestment hub
Nielsen is betting big on India—not just as a market but as a technology hub. “In Maharashtra alone, we have invested over ₹450 crore. Across India, we’re talking thousands of jobs. But it’s not just about numbers; it’s about the quality of talent. We are hiring the best of data engineering, AI, and product development minds.”
Nielsen’s India operations are now critical to its global innovation roadmap. “If you can build for India, you can scale anywhere. The complexity of India’s media market is second to none. Even print here is on a better trajectory compared to other global markets,” he added.
Measurement crisis: Can we trust the data?
India’s last census was conducted in 2011. Given how much has changed, data gaps are a major concern. “Everything in measurement is an estimation process. The real challenge is ensuring accuracy with the inputs we have. Do we have the right audience segmentation? Are panels representative? Do we have enough proprietary data?”
Nielsen relies on AI and machine learning to fill these gaps but emphasizes the importance of ‘Explainable AI.’ “Trust cannot be built on black-box models. Advertisers spend billions on content and ads—they need transparency. That’s why our process remains rigorous, ensuring our data meets global privacy and accreditation standards,” he said.
Interestingly, with the shift towards big data and programmatic advertising, panel-based measurement has been under scrutiny. But Rao defends its continued relevance. “Panels still hold tremendous value. They help us understand true cross-media behaviour, co-viewing, and household dynamics that raw digital data alone cannot capture.”
India vs the World: What can we learn?
Compared to developed markets like the US and the UK, where structured data ecosystems provide a more stable foundation for measurement, India presents unique challenges. “The more complex the environment, the more you need human-observed data as a foundational input. That’s why panel data remains critical in markets like India, China, and Brazil, where raw data sources are less uniform,” he said.
India is now on the brink of its first digital census. Rao sees this as a turning point. “A digital census will significantly improve measurement. And in the future, I hope we can even help improve the census using our data.”
The role of AI in Nielsen’s future
Anil Goel, Nielsen’s global chief technology officer, highlighted how AI and machine learning are becoming central to the company’s transformation.
“Historically, data science has played a big role in ensuring our panels are representative and eliminating biases in first-party and third-party data. Now, with large language models (LLMs), we are investing heavily in surfacing deeper insights for both media partners and advertisers,” Goel said.
He added that Nielsen’s proprietary data gives it an edge. “We have the biggest asset—millions of households’ proprietary data. We’re using AI for predictive analytics, refining content recommendations, and helping advertisers optimize their ad mix. While some companies talk about AI as a buzzword, for us, it’s ingrained in every aspect of what we do.”
Despite the challenges, Rao remains optimistic about Nielsen’s role in the future of media measurement. “We are not where we need to be yet, but we are making rapid progress. The industry is changing fast, and we are evolving with it.”
As the media landscape continues to evolve, Nielsen is betting that its ability to adapt—and its independence—will keep it relevant in a world where data is more valuable than ever.
