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The agreement comes ahead of 2023 Upfronts and as the studio looks to measure cross-screen campaigns before it combines its HBO Max and Discovery+ platforms.
By Etan Vlessing
Canada Bureau Chief
Warner Bros. Discovery has signed an audience measurement agreement with VideoAmp, a start-up rival to Nielsen.
The deal comes ahead of the 2023 Upfronts and has the Hollywood studio looking to better measure cross-screen campaigns as it gets set to combine its HBO Max and Discovery+ platforms.
While still using Nielsen, Warner Bros. Discovery will embrace VideoAmp to better identify audiences for advertisers across linear, streaming video, digital and social media services through what it calls a “unified, cross-platform currency.”
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“Traditional media measurement has not kept pace with how consumers are engaging with streaming and linear content. As a result, these audiences have been undercounted and current measures no longer accurately reflect their true advertising value,” Andrea Zapata, executive vp and head of ad sales, research, measures and insights at Warner Bros. Discovery, said in a statement.
The studio owns and operates two major streaming services — HBO Max and Discovery+ — and plans this year to go to market with one major streaming service. That move comes as streaming platforms are increasingly gaining overall TV audience share as linear TV services see a continuing decline in eyeballs.
“The industry needs a better way to measure and transact on audiences–one that accounts for cross-platform, supports both traditional and advanced audiences and provides attribution metrics in a manner that enables media sellers and buyers to unlock this potential and excel in a competitive environment,” Ross McCray, CEO and founder of VideoAmp, added in his own statement as his company unveiled its deal with Warner Bros. Discovery.
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