News/CTV & Streaming

Nielsen and Roku Expand Measurement Partnership in Push for Unified Streaming View

The multi-year deal deepens data sharing between the two companies as Roku's devices now account for more than 21% of total TV viewing. Here's what the partnership covers and why it matters for CTV measurement.

By Sarah Chen··6 min read

Nielsen and Roku announced a significant expansion of their strategic measurement partnership in December 2025, a deal that reflects the growing urgency to solve CTV's measurement fragmentation problem.

The Deal

Under the expanded multi-year agreement, Nielsen will continue incorporating Roku's large-scale TV data into its Big Data + Panel measurement system — the hybrid approach that combines census-level device data with representative panel data to produce audience estimates.

In return, Roku will gain access to Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings, which provide a comprehensive view of how audiences engage with both subscription and ad-supported streaming services.

Why This Matters

The scale numbers tell the story. Roku's CTV devices now account for more than 21% of total TV viewing in the United States, according to Nielsen's own research. The Roku Channel, Roku's free ad-supported streaming app, has become the second-largest streaming app based on share of ad-supported TV time.

In a typical month, Nielsen measures more than 1 trillion minutes of viewing across all streaming apps. Integrating Roku's device-level data into that measurement system gives advertisers a more granular and accurate picture of who's watching what — and where the ad impressions are actually landing.

The Broader CTV Measurement Landscape

This partnership comes at a time when CTV measurement remains deeply fragmented. Every major platform runs its own measurement stack: YouTube leverages Google's attribution tools, Disney+ and Hulu operate their own clean room-based measurement, Amazon Fire TV connects to Amazon's retail data, and Netflix offers limited reporting through its Microsoft advertising partnership.

For advertisers running cross-platform CTV campaigns, there's no unified view of reach, frequency, or effectiveness. The IAB has responded by recommending adoption of Conversion APIs (CAPI) to help advertisers measure CTV ad outcomes, prioritizing actual business outcomes over impressions.

What Advertisers Should Do

CTV ad spend is projected to reach $20.5 billion in 2025, with 58% of advertisers expecting to increase their CTV budgets. But spending is running ahead of measurement infrastructure:

  • Don't rely on self-reported platform metrics. Each platform defines impressions, completions, and reach differently.
  • Invest in a cross-platform measurement partner that can deduplicate audiences across environments.
  • Run incrementality tests to validate CTV's true contribution to business outcomes, not just reported reach.
  • Push your largest CTV partners for clean room-based measurement that allows first-party data matching without compromising privacy.

    • The Nielsen-Roku partnership is a step toward better cross-platform measurement, but a truly unified CTV currency remains a work in progress.

    Sources & References

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    TagsNielsenRokuStreamingCTVCross-Platform

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