Nielsen, Paramount Reach Multiyear Deal, Ending Dispute

The two companies have come to terms in a new multiyear agreement whereby Nielsen would furnish various ratings and analytical services across the range of Paramount Global's linear network and streaming stables. The two companies had been under a stalemate since October when the last contract lapsed.

"We are thrilled to resume our partnership with Paramount, as their leaders continue to build one of the strongest brands in entertainment," Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao said in a statement. "Our trusted data shows how Paramount's content and advertising strategy is thriving across every platform, across all ages and demos. As Paramount continues its evolution into a next-generation media company, we're proud to play a critical role and know this deal will be a win for everyone: Nielsen, Paramount and all of our joint advertising partners."

Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks, added, "Paramount and Nielsen are committed to addressing Television's multiplatform future to the benefit of all of our stakeholders. Karthik and his team continue to meet the needs of our marketplace across all our platforms, and we are incredibly pleased to reinforce and reinvigorate our deal with our longtime partner. Paramount Global's ratings wins reported today are just one of many successes we look forward to with Nielsen as we build upon this new future together."

As part of the new deal, Nielsen has licensed several new services to Paramount, including the recently accredited "big data + panel" measurement, ad-supported streaming platform ratings and the extension of out-of-home ratings, covering 100 percent of the United States whereas it previously covered about two-thirds of the country.

Nielsen continued to track and publish numbers for Paramount's TV and streaming platforms, including CBS, Paramount+, Pluto TV and a slate of other cable networks. However, Paramount ended its reliance on Nielsen data Oct. 1, 2024, after that company's contract ended (it turned to rival ratings service VideoAmp for release information and other reporting, meanwhile), and the two issued public jabs at each other over the dispute.

Nielsen's deal announcement highlights recent ratings milestones for Paramount, including 57.7 million viewers for CBS's NFL AFC Championship, the ongoing success of Tracker on the network, and the breakout success of Landman on Paramount+.