• by Wayne Friedman , February 8, 2017

On Tuesday, Nielsen announced accreditation by the Media Rating Council to include “digital” measurement in its TV ratings -- what Nielsen calls “Digital in TV Ratings (DTVR), a service launched in 2015.

The new ratings represent the audiences of linear TV programming viewed on computers and mobile devices.

The deal with CBS also allows local stations to have an “in-depth look at consumers' viewing habits across their markets, and create specific trading areas whether they are by geography, audience characteristics or demographics.”

"As many American cities are becoming more diverse and populations continue to grow, it's critical for TV stations to have a complete picture of who is viewing their content,” stated David Poltrack, chief research officer of CBS Corp. and president of CBS Vision.

Nielsen says its use of Big Data -- including set-top-box data and out-of-home viewing -- will deliver more stability, boost ratings fidelity and increase market insights.

Nielsen deal covers CBS owned-and-operated stations in 17 U.S. markets.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.