Can Nielsen keep up? Karthik Rao on adapting to a fragmented media landscape

Mumbai: In an era where media consumption is more fragmented than ever, Nielsen, a company that has long been synonymous with audience measurement, finds itself in a race to keep up. The velocity to keep up is probably the single biggest challenge.” Despite growing competition and big tech firms consolidating audience data, Nielsen still holds relevance, according to Rao. Big Tech and the relevance of third-party measurement With platforms like JioHotstar, Google, and Amazon amassing vast troves of first-party data, does Nielsen still hold its ground? That’s why panel data remains critical in markets like India, China, and Brazil, where raw data sources are less uniform,” he said. While some companies talk about AI as a buzzword, for us, it’s ingrained in every aspect of what we do.” Despite the challenges, Rao remains optimistic about Nielsen’s role in the future of media measurement.