Sinclair will use comScore to measure their TV ratings.

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/104783/sinclair-turns-to-comscore-for-all-tv-ratings#comments

http://www.fiercecable.com/broadcasting/sinclair-dumps-nielsen-for-comscore-report-says

Revenue is the issue here

Sinclair Broadcast Group has reportedly broken up with Nielsen and will now get its audience ratings from comScore.

According to TVNewsCheck, which obtained a copy of a letter Sinclair last month sent to its clients, Sinclair will switch to comScore exclusively starting next year. However, Sinclair in the letter acknowledged the many choices available for broadcast ratings and promised it will continue to “work with our clients to ensure their buys meet expectations.”

While neither Sinclair nor comScore responded to TVNewCheck’s requests for comments, Nielsen did, saying that it would continue to “work closely” with Sinclair.

Sinclair and comScore did not immediately respond to FierceBroadcasting’s request for comment.



However, Sinclair has made no secret of its contempt for Nielsen, so a move away from the metrics firm would make sense.

Mark Aitken, vice president of advanced technology for Sinclair Broadcast Group, said that a big financial upside to deploying the ATSC 3.0 next-generation TV standard is the potential for collecting and analyzing viewership data.

“If we weren’t stuck with Nielsen and their reading of the tea leaves, we’d have tens of millions of extra dollars in our pocket,” Aitken told FierceBroadcasting, adding that the situation between broadcasters and Nielsen has been lopsided for a long time. He added that Nielsen’s numbers are “imprecise.”

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Here is TV Newscheck take on the Comscore deal with Sinclair

In an apparent setback for Nielsen, Sinclair Broadcast Group has informed its advertisers and agencies that it will be using comScore broadcast ratings "exclusively" beginning next year, according to a May 25 letter from the station group to its clients obtained by TVNewsCheck.

"We understand that there are choices in local broadcast measurement, and Sinclair will continue to work with our clients to ensure their buys meet expectations," EVP and COO Steve Marks says in the brief letter.

An audience measurement upstart, comScore, which absorbed Rentrak, has been slowly cutting into Nielsen's one-time monopoly on broadcast ratings.

In response to a request for comment, a Nielsen spokesperson issued a statement that suggests that Sinclair's move to comScore is not as final as it may appear.

“Though we do not comment on contract negotiations publicly, Sinclair is a longtime and enduring client of Nielsen’s and we continue to work closely with them to meet and exceed business needs," the statement says.

No immediate word from Sinclair and comScore.

 

[umfan]

I doubt that additional revenue will result, but comScore likely gives them data they can use to sell at a much lower cost than what Nielsen is offering. This is a big loss for Nielsen and if it works for SBGI, many other station groups may follow.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

http://www.tvnewscheck.com/article/104937/battle-over-local-tv-ratings-gets-interesting/format/print

Update