Comscore, a trusted currency for planning, transacting and evaluating media across platforms, today announced a multi-year agreement with Nexstar Media Group (Nexstar). Effective January 1, 2019, Comscore will serve as a currency and measurement provider to all Nexstar markets, including the markets Nexstar acquired from Media General. As part of this expanded partnership, Comscore will deliver a new local cross-platform currency to seamlessly capture audience insights across local linear TV, mobile, desktop and over-the-top (OTT).
Pursuant to the terms of the agreement, and consistent with Nexstar's commitment to deliver seamless cross-platform marketing solutions to local and national advertisers and brands, Nexstar will be one of the first broadcasters to deploy Comscore's advanced cross-platform data attribution and audience measurement across its broadcast and digital platforms including linear TV, mobile, and desktop devices, including OTT content consumption. Comscore plans to begin integrating linear and digital datasets in local TV markets in 2019. In addition to Nexstar leveraging Comscore's enhanced local market data, as part of the agreement and its continued commitment to local broadcasters, Comscore will also immediately accelerate the expansion of its over-the-air (OTA) household panel. This expansion will provide the industry with more representative, actionable and competitive insights into local OTA and OTT viewing behaviors.
"Over our eight-year relationship, Comscore has proven to be a valuable partner in providing trusted currency and measurement data and our expanded relationship will provide Nexstar with access to Comscore's combined linear and digital platform data and its advanced audience targeting capabilities," said Timothy C. Busch President of Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc. "Our expanded relationship with Comscore will enable Nexstar to deliver unparalleled data with scale in measurement and combined audience data across all platforms in all Nexstar markets. As consumer content consumption evolves, Comscore's ability to deliver enhanced data -- and ultimately universal media measurement -- will support Nexstar and our go to market approach as we advance our strategies to best serve local and national advertising clients, particularly at the agency level, with qualified linear and digital viewing data."
With more than a decade of experience measuring television viewership from return path devices across tens of millions of households in all 210 local markets, Comscore is one of the industry's most trusted sources for passively-collected television viewing data. Comscore is also a leader in Advanced Audiences™, which allow the industry to go beyond age and gender to transact on consumer behaviors, interests and lifestyles. This enables TV stations, networks, advertisers, agencies and media companies at the local and national levels to effectively find and reach their ideal audiences to maximize their success.
"As an industry innovator and one of our valued clients, we're excited to expand our partnership with Nexstar," said Bryan Wiener, CEO of Comscore. "With consumer behavior rapidly moving cross-platform, we're thrilled to work with Nexstar to pioneer a modern local currency alternative to the status quo. We look forward to continuing to innovate on behalf of our partners, including Nexstar, to deliver content providers and advertisers the solutions required to seamlessly connect linear and digital behavior and ultimately, help our clients and their advertisers drive business growth."
About Comscore
Comscore (NASDAQ: SCOR) is a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating media across platforms. With a data footprint that combines digital, linear TV, over-the-top and theatrical viewership intelligence with advanced audience insights, Comscore allows media buyers and sellers to quantify their multiscreen behavior and make business decisions with confidence. A proven leader in measuring digital and set-top box audiences and advertising at scale, Comscore is the industry's emerging, third-party source for reliable and comprehensive cross-platform measurement. In the past year, Comscore has seen approximately a 20% increase in the number of local stations that leverage its local TV currency. To learn more about Comscore, please visit Comscore.com.
About Nexstar
Nexstar Media Group is a leading diversified media company that leverages localism to bring new services and value to consumers and advertisers through its traditional media, digital and mobile media platforms. Nexstar owns, operates, programs or provides sales and other services to 174 full power television stations and related digital multicast signals reaching 100 markets or nearly 39% of all U.S. television households. Nexstar's portfolio includes primary affiliates of NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, MyNetworkTV and The CW. Nexstar's community portal websites offer additional hyper-local content and verticals for consumers and advertisers, allowing audiences to choose where, when and how they access content while creating new revenue opportunities. For more information please visit www.nexstar.tv.
