IAB And Nielsen Launch Holistic Monthly Digital Measurement System

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B&T Magazine
By B&T Magazine



If you’re bamboozled about where your customers are coming from and how long they’re spending on your digital assets, fear no more. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Nielsen have teamed up to launch a new ratings system Digital Ratings (Monthly).

The ratings system takes a holistic cross-platform look at the landscape, how and where people are accessing content, and how big the digital audiences on smartphones, tablets and desktop computers are.

Nielsen first launched a digital ratings system for online in 2011. And then with the advent of mobile, introduced a separate mobile ratings system in 2015. But now, with the help of the IAB, it’s a cohesive look at the entire digital landscape.

Key highlights from the first lot of Digital Ratings (Monthly):

  • Total active digital universe in Australia for February 2016 is 19.6 million people across computers, smartphones and tablets
  • While computers are still the prevalent device for going online, with almost 18 million Australians actively logging on with one in February 2016, more than 13 million people also actively browse websites / apps on smartphones and 7.5 million people on tablets
  • Australians spend more time browsing websites / apps on their smartphones than any other device (more than 28 hours per person per month)
  • Photography, travel, special occasions and automotive sectors show the largest incremental growth from desktop only to total audience
  • Search engines, portals and social networking category, communication, entertainment and family and lifestyle categories have the largest incremental growth in time spent from desktop only to total.

digital ratings (monthly)

While the conversation for a while has been the exponential increase in mobile, it was never clear how much. In the new measurement system, the ratings claim in May 2013 some 66 per cent of online sessions were coming from desktop. In January 2016, that number has dropped to 36 per cent. And mobile has zoomed ahead from 25 per cent in 2013 to 52 per cent in 2016.

It’s important to note the Digital Ratings (Monthly) only encompasses ‘static’ content across websites and apps. It does not include streaming video.

The data derived from the system allows publishers to see how their audiences have grown across digital devices, as well as allowing advertisers and agencies the ability to understand how their digital investment is going, and what reach it’s at.




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