Nielsen and Roku Expand Strategic Measurement Partnership

Key Terms

streaming ratings technical

Streaming ratings are measurements of how many people watch a show or channel on an online platform and how they watch it (for example, total viewers, hours watched, or peak simultaneous viewers). Like a store counting foot traffic or a TV measuring audience size, these numbers show which programs attract and keep attention, and they matter to investors because they drive subscription growth, advertising income, content licensing value and decisions about where a platform should spend money.

big data + panel measurement technical

A measurement approach that combines massive, passively collected digital records (like online interactions, transactions or sensor feeds) with a controlled group of real people whose behavior is tracked in detail to provide a representative baseline. Think of it as blending a huge aerial photo with close-up field notes to turn raw volume into an accurate portrait of who is doing what. For investors, it delivers more reliable customer, usage or audience metrics that improve revenue forecasts, marketing effectiveness and risk assessment.

linear technical

Describes a relationship or change that follows a straight-line pattern where one quantity moves in direct, predictable proportion to another. For investors, a linear trend or response makes forecasting, budgeting and risk estimates simpler—like a dimmer switch that steadily brightens or darkens rather than an on/off lamp—so assumptions and models based on linear behavior are easier to test but can mislead if the real world is more complex.

out-of-home (ooh) measurement technical

Measurement of out-of-home (OOH) advertising tracks how many people are exposed to ads placed outside the home—on billboards, transit, street furniture, mall kiosks, and digital screens—and when and where those exposures happen. Investors care because these metrics translate into expected ad reach and effectiveness, helping predict media company or advertiser revenue and return on marketing spend; think of it like counting foot traffic past a storefront to estimate sales potential.

upfront transactions financial

Upfront transactions are deals or payments made at the time an agreement is signed, where one party pays cash or transfers assets immediately rather than waiting for future milestones or results. Investors care because upfront amounts provide immediate revenue or a cash burden and signal how confident the buyer is about the value of the asset—like paying full price for a car at purchase instead of making payments tied to its future performance.

New multi-year deal integrates Roku’s data to fuel Nielsen’s measurement suite

Roku gains access to Nielsen’s streaming ratings showing The Roku Channel is the #2 streaming app in ad-supported TV time

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today, Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, and Roku, a leading TV streaming platform*, announced an expansion of their long-term strategic partnership. Building on years of collaboration, this next phase will incorporate Roku data into Nielsen’s advanced campaign measurement and outcome solutions.

Building on years of collaboration, this next phase of the partnership will incorporate Roku data in Nielsen’s advanced campaign measurement and outcome solutions.

With streaming on Roku devices alone making up more than 21% of all TV viewing**, advertisers can get a more accurate view of what audiences watch across services through measurement powered by Roku’s data. As part of this expanded multi-year strategic partnership, Nielsen will continue using Roku’s large-scale TV data as input to its Big Data + Panel measurement for both Linear and Streaming Ratings. This will help deliver more accurate performance results for advertisers running campaigns on Roku and across the broader TV landscape.

As part of the strategic partnership, Roku will also gain access to Nielsen’s Streaming Platform Ratings, which provide a comprehensive view of how audiences engage with both subscription and ad-supported services. According to Nielsen, about seven in 10 TV streaming hours are now ad-supported. This insight is especially important as The Roku Channel, Roku’s free ad-supported streaming app, continues to grow and is now the second-largest streaming app based on share of ad-supported TV time***.

This announcement builds upon Nielsen’s momentum in leading the industry in audience measurement, including streaming. Nielsen continues to be the premier source of streaming TV measurement, releasing The Gauge, the Media Distributor Gauge, and the Nielsen Streaming Top 10. In a typical month, Nielsen measures more than 1 trillion minutes of viewing across all streaming apps.

“With our leadership in streaming measurement and this data from Roku, we are providing the most accurate view of what audiences are watching across all of TV. And at Nielsen, we continue to see a move towards ad-supported streaming services, with The Roku Channel a leader in the category. This strategic partnership brings together Nielsen’s strength and expertise in streaming measurement with Roku’s category leadership positioning to provide a solution that addresses a timely industry need: granular insights and analytics that marketers need to grow their brand as well as drive results,” said Ameneh Atai, GM, Audience Measurement at Nielsen.

“Our extended strategic partnership with Nielsen will help further our goal of a better TV advertising system, focused on interoperability and driving performance. Together, Roku and Nielsen will take streaming measurement to a new level, ensuring that advertisers and publishers have access to best-in-class measurement and insights,” said Sarah Harms, Vice President of Marketing and Measurement at Roku.

Nielsen has made a number of innovations this year, including accreditation for its Big Data + Panel measurement, following its November 2024 accreditation for first-party live streaming. In February, Nielsen announced its Out-of-Home (OOH) measurement now covers 100% of the U.S. contiguous television population. Big Data + Panel is being used as currency for Upfront transactions for the first time this year.

*Source: Circana, LLC, Retail Tracking Service, U.S., CA, and MX, Smart TV by Software Service, Unit Sales, July - September 2025

**Source: Nielsen TV Ratings, October 2025

***Source: Nielsen Streaming Ratings, October 2025

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 www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (X, LinkedIn, YouTube, Facebook and Instagram).

About Roku, Inc.

Roku pioneered streaming on TV. We connect users to the content they love, enable content publishers to build and monetize large audiences, and provide advertisers with unique capabilities to engage consumers. Roku-made TVs, Roku TV™ models, Roku streaming players, and TV-related audio devices are available in various countries around the world through direct retail sales and/or licensing arrangements with TV OEM brands. Roku Smart Home products are sold exclusively in the United States. Roku also operates The Roku Channel, the home of free and premium entertainment with exclusive access to Roku Originals, and the #2 app on our platform in the U.S. by streaming hours. The Roku Channel is available in the United States, Canada, Mexico, and the United Kingdom. Roku is headquartered in San Jose, Calif., U.S.A.

This press release contains “forward-looking” statements that are based on our beliefs and assumptions and on information currently available to us on the date of this press release. Forward-looking statements may involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These statements include but are not limited to those related to the benefits of Nielsen’s and Roku’s expanded partnership, including the reach, features, capabilities and benefits of the integration; the timing of the availability of this integration and its features; and the features, benefits, and availability of Roku Data Cloud. Except as required by law, we assume no obligation to update these forward-looking statements publicly, or to update the reasons actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in the forward-looking statements, even if new information becomes available in the future. Important factors that could cause our actual results to differ materially are detailed from time to time in the reports Roku, Inc. files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and our Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended September 30, 2025. Copies of reports filed with the SEC are posted on Roku’s website and are available from Roku without charge.

Roku and Roku TV are trademarks or registered trademarks of Roku, Inc. in the U.S. and in other countries. Tradenames, trademarks, and services marks of other companies appearing in this press release are the property of their respective holders.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20251217162951/en/

Media Contacts

Nielsen: Sarah Muratore, sarah.muratore@nielsen.com

Roku: Sarah Saul, adspr@roku.com

Source: Roku, Inc.