Latest news with #TheGauge
Axios
13-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Free TV is booming
David Letterman, Chuck E. Cheese and 50 Cent are all promoting their own TV channels with one crucial common denominator — they're free. Why it matters: "This is the new default TV experience," Sarah Nelson, global head of strategic partnerships at Samsung TV Plus, told Axios. "People are abandoning linear. Subscription services have sort of reached saturation. People are really looking for premium content and experience that's super lean back, frictionless, easy to access and at no cost to them," Nelson said. Driving the news: Streamers have grown their reach and revenue by embracing ads. Amazon said the ad-supported tier of Prime Video reaches 130 million U.S. customers on Monday at its Upfront presentation for advertisers. Later today, Netflix — once famously anti-advertising — will host a formal Upfront. But free TV dominated the sales pitches during last week's NewFronts, the annual advertising event for digital-focused companies. Samsung touted its free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels on Samsung TV Plus including from Letterman, the Jonas Brothers and Billboard. Other TV makers like LG and Vizio presented their FAST services along with content providers like Vevo, Revry and Dr. Phil's Merit TV. During Fox-owned Tubi's event, actor Noah Beck credited the "lack of paywall" to why his movie, "Sidelined: The QB and Me," went viral across social media. "Anyone's able to just jump in and watch a show or a movie, and I think that alone just helps to spread. It's so easy to watch," he said. By the numbers: FAST isn't new, but the number of channels and viewership is rising. An estimated 1,755 FAST services are available in the U.S., U.K., Germany and Canada, as of May 5, up 17% since June 2024 and 67% since June 2023, according to Gracenote. Nielsen said Pluto TV, Paramount's FAST service, was the first to appear in The Gauge, its monthly analysis of TV consumption, in August 2022. PlutoTV viewership is up 15%, Tubi's up 21% and The Roku Channel's up 67% since April 2024, per Nielsen. Yes, but: YouTube captures the most streaming viewership on TVs, per Nielsen. Building a FAST channel can be a significant investment — more so than uploading new or old programming on YouTube or social channels. How it works: FAST's value lies in the scaled audience, curation and control, where publishers and brands can lean into fandom. "We've been doing Facebook. We've been doing YouTube. That doesn't change. This is just another place for us," Billboard CEO Mike Van told Axios. " More so than ever, people's attentions are fragmented. We need to be meeting them everywhere they are." "There's a lot more control that you have in [a FAST] environment, which you own and operate, versus a YouTube," Vikrant Mathur, CEO of Future Today, a streaming channel provider that's supporting Chuck E. Cheese's FAST launch, told Axios.
Associated Press
24-02-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Jessica Holscott Joins Nielsen as Chief Financial Officer
NEW YORK, Feb. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Nielsen, the global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics, announced that Jessica Holscott will join the company as its Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective today. Jessica will lead Nielsen's global finance organization, reporting to Chief Executive Officer Karthik Rao. As CFO, Jessica will oversee all of Nielsen's financial activities across the globe, including financial planning and analysis, tax, controllership, internal audit and treasury. 'Jessica is a proven, world-class financial leader and we are fortunate to have her join Nielsen at such an important time,' said Karthik Rao, CEO of Nielsen. 'Within the past year we have introduced several groundbreaking products for our clients as we continue to be the leader in TV measurement and streaming TV data. As we continue to innovate and add even more advanced ad tech offerings to our suite, Jessica's strategic vision and experience will be key for our evolution.' Jessica is an accomplished global executive and CFO with over 20 years of experience demonstrating success across multiple industries. Most recently, Jessica was the CFO of Spotter, a creator focused company. Prior to that, she served as CFO and EVP for Warner Media, where she oversaw all aspects of finance and drove strategic decisions across Warner Bros., HBO, and the Turner Networks alongside the CEO. She also served as CFO and EVP for HBO. Additionally, Jessica spent time as an Investor Relations lead for Time Warner and Aptiv (Delphi). Jessica began her career at General Electric, where she rose through the ranks from corporate audit to Chief of Staff to the Vice Chairman and CFO. 'I am honored to join Nielsen as CFO at such a transformational time for the company and industry. Nielsen continues to raise the bar when it comes to innovation and I'm thrilled to work alongside Karthik and my fellow leaders to keep the momentum going as the leader in audience measurement,' said Jessica. Nielsen begins the year continuing its track record of innovation and modernization, including accreditation for its Big Data + Panel measurement and OOH expansion. This followed accreditation for a first-party live streaming solution in November 2024. Nielsen is the leader in audience measurement, trusted by clients across all of TV and advertising. Nielsen's ratings and rankings - for linear TV, the Nielsen Streaming Top 10 and The Gauge - are the trusted sources of truth for the industry. About Nielsen Nielsen is a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their global audiences—now and into the future. Learn more at and connect with us on social media ( X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).
