The Disney shills that like to cry Nielsen doesn’t matter when it comes to viewership data are in for a big wake up call: Disney+ automatically includes it in your account and has it turned on.
While reviewing my Disney+ account, I happened to come across – way at the bottom – a setting that says: “Manage Nielsen Measurement.”
When clicking on the option, it takes you to a notice where the option is already turned on, and you can then turn it off:
The Disney+ service may feature Nielsen proprietary measurement software such as Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings (DAR) when you stream Disney+, including on your television through streaming media players, smart TVs, Chromecast, Blu- ray players, gaming consoles, and similar devices (collectively, “Living Room Devices”) and mobile applications. Nielsen DAR allows Nielsen to measure the performance of ad campaigns viewed by our registered users. If you do not wish to participate in DAR on Living Room Devices and mobile applications, please indicate your preference by unchecking the box below. For more information about other Nielsen measurement software featured on the Disney+ service, such as TV ratings and the ability to opt-out, please visit our Privacy Policy.
Participate in Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings (DAR)
While the notice sounds as if it’s more for digital ads (Nielsen Digital Ad Ratings), the notice has a link and sends you to the Disney+ privacy policy which states under “YOUR CONTROLS AND CHOICES”: “Choosing to limit participation in Nielsen digital measurement research (for non-Panelists).”
That notice has a link to Nielsen’s “Digital measurement privacy statement”: privacy.thewaltdisneycompany.com/en/current-privacy-policy/#heading6
Nielsen uses its proprietary software and products to provide digital measurement services, which measure and analyze how consumers engage with media across online, mobile and emerging technologies, and enable Nielsen to offer research insights into consumer behavior.
So from that it sure sounds like Disney is using Nielsen to measure its Disney+ audience and viewership.
Regardless, Nielsen is the industry standard for viewership data and is followed by the entire industry. It matters.
