Nielsen and Roku deepen ties with Roku Channel becoming #2 in ad-supported TV

Nielsen and Roku announced on December 22, 2025, an expansion to their long-term strategic partnership, incorporating Roku's viewing data into Nielsen's advanced campaign measurement and outcome solutions while granting Roku access to Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings. The agreement builds upon years of collaboration between the two companies, addressing measurement challenges as streaming continues to reshape television advertising.

The partnership expansion arrives at a moment when streaming on Roku devices alone represents more than 21% of all TV viewing, according to Nielsen data from October 2025. This substantial viewership share underscores the importance of accurate measurement across streaming platforms, particularly as advertisers allocate increasing budgets to connected television.

According to Nielsen, streaming platforms now account for seven in 10 TV streaming hours that are ad-supported. This measurement revealed a particularly significant finding: The Roku Channel has become the second-largest streaming app based on share of ad-supported TV time, according to Nielsen Streaming Ratings from October 2025. The free ad-supported streaming app's performance demonstrates sustained audience appetite for advertising-supported content consumption models.

The multi-year strategic partnership will integrate Roku data into Nielsen's Big Data + Panel measurement for both Linear and Streaming Ratings. Nielsen will continue using Roku's large-scale TV data as input to deliver more accurate performance results for advertisers running campaigns on Roku and across the broader TV landscape. The expanded data inputs aim to provide advertisers with a more precise view of what audiences watch across services through measurement powered by Roku's data.

Roku's participation in Nielsen's measurement infrastructure represents a significant endorsement of the Big Data + Panel methodology. Nielsen received Media Rating Council accreditation for Big Data + Panel measurement in 2025, following its November 2024 accreditation for first-party live streaming. The system combines data from approximately 101,000 people across 42,000 households with information from about 45 million households and 75 million devices, sourced from companies including Comcast, Dish, DIRECTV, Roku, and Vizio.

"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," stated Ameneh Atai, GM of Audience Measurement at Nielsen. The partnership brings together Nielsen's strength and expertise in streaming measurement with Roku's category leadership positioning to provide granular insights and analytics that marketers need to grow their brand as well as drive results, according to Atai.

The strategic significance extends beyond measurement accuracy to encompass comprehensive streaming intelligence. Roku will gain access to Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings, which provides a comprehensive view of how audiences engage with both subscription and ad-supported services. This access enables Roku to benchmark The Roku Channel's performance against competitors while understanding broader market dynamics in the ad-supported streaming sector.

Nielsen's momentum in leading the industry in audience measurement has included several developments throughout 2024 and 2025. The company released The Gauge, the Media Distributor Gauge, and the Nielsen Streaming Top 10, establishing standardized reporting for an industry transitioning from traditional television to streaming consumption. In a typical month, Nielsen measures more than 1 trillion minutes of viewing across all streaming apps, according to the announcement.

"Our extended strategic partnership with Nielsen will help further our goal of a better TV advertising system, focused on interoperability and driving performance," stated Sarah Harms, Vice President of Marketing and Measurement at Roku. 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, according to Harms.

The Roku Channel's ascension to the second position in ad-supported TV time carries substantial implications for advertisers seeking scale in free ad-supported streaming television platforms. The service achieved record performance levels throughout 2025, indicating sustained audience appetite for advertising-supported content consumption. The platform operates as Roku's free streaming app, featuring exclusive Roku Originals content alongside licensed programming from major studios.

Roku's business model centers on advertising revenue rather than subscription fees, distinguishing the company from content-focused streaming services. This approach aligns with growing advertiser interest in free ad-supported television platforms where audiences demonstrate engagement with commercial messaging. The platform ranks as the number two application on Roku's platform by streaming hours, demonstrating audience acceptance of advertising-supported content consumption models.

Nielsen has made several innovations throughout 2024 and 2025 that support this expanded partnership. In February 2025, Nielsen announced its Out-of-Home 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 in 2025, representing a fundamental shift in how television advertising is bought and sold.

The technical infrastructure supporting the partnership incorporates multiple data sources. Nielsen's measurement system processes person-level data from panels comprising over 1.2 million individuals, combined with what the company describes as the industry's largest big data footprint. This foundation provides coverage across digital, linear, streaming, and connected TV platforms. The addition of Roku's large-scale viewing data enhances the accuracy of these measurements, particularly for streaming content.

For marketing professionals, the partnership addresses persistent challenges in streaming measurement and campaign optimization. Advertisers have struggled with fragmented measurement across multiple streaming platforms, making reach and frequency calculations difficult. The streaming ecosystem's complexity creates mounting challenges for advertisers managing campaigns across platforms, with connected television representing 41% of total viewing time and more than 85% of U.S. households streaming.

The integration of Roku data into Nielsen's advanced campaign measurement and outcome solutions provides several capabilities for advertisers. Campaign measurement will incorporate Roku's first-party viewing data, enabling more precise attribution of advertising effectiveness. Outcome solutions will benefit from enhanced data inputs that connect advertising exposure to consumer behaviors across the marketing funnel. These capabilities address advertiser demand for measurement that demonstrates return on advertising investment beyond basic impressions.

Roku's access to Nielsen Streaming Platform Ratings enables the company to provide publishers and advertisers with comparative intelligence across the streaming landscape. The ratings data encompasses both subscription and ad-supported services, offering comprehensive market context for content performance decisions. This intelligence becomes particularly valuable as The Roku Channel competes with established streaming services for viewer attention and advertising budgets.

The announcement builds upon Roku's systematic expansion of advertising capabilities throughout 2024 and 2025. The company launched Ads Manager in September 2024, providing a self-service platform for connected television advertising with Shopify integration for shoppable ads. Roku expanded its Instacart partnership in October 2024, introducing new shoppable ad formats and advanced targeting features for consumer packaged goods brands.

The partnership also reflects broader industry consolidation around standardized measurement. Amazon Ads and Roku announced the largest authenticated CTV partnership in June 2025, providing advertisers with authenticated reach across 80 million households through Amazon DSP. These partnerships demonstrate Roku's strategy of interoperability across measurement providers and demand-side platforms.

Nielsen's transition to Big Data + Panel measurement represents a fundamental change in television audience measurement methodology. The company ended legacy panel-only TV ratings in January 2025, transitioning to a combined data approach that incorporates both panel measurement and large-scale device data. This transition faced several delays following resistance from advertisers and agencies who considered the original schedule too aggressive, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The measurement landscape has grown increasingly competitive with the emergence of competitors such as VideoAmp, Comscore, and iSpot.tv, who have focused their efforts on digital measurement technology. Disney unveiled its Compass product at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, designed to facilitate ad buyers' access to first-party customer data. These competitive pressures have driven Nielsen to expand partnerships with data providers and platforms to enhance measurement coverage.

For Roku, the strategic partnership positions the company as a key participant in television measurement infrastructure. Streaming on Roku-powered devices captured 21.4% of total television viewing time compared to broadcast's 18.4% share in July 2025, marking the third consecutive month of streaming dominance according to Nielsen data. This viewership share makes Roku's data contribution essential for comprehensive television measurement across the industry.

The timing of the partnership expansion coincides with growing advertiser focus on ad-supported streaming services. According to Nielsen, about seven in 10 TV streaming hours are now ad-supported, representing a significant shift from subscription-based consumption models. Platforms like The Roku Channel benefit from this transition as advertisers seek scaled inventory in free ad-supported television environments.

Nielsen's streaming measurement capabilities have expanded substantially throughout 2024 and 2025. The company provides Streaming Content Ratings and Streaming Platform Ratings that feed data to Nielsen's Streaming Top 10 rankings. The Media Distributor Gauge provides a cross-platform view of total TV consumption aggregated by media company, enabling advertisers to understand viewing patterns across consolidated media entities.

The announcement comes as traditional television viewing continues declining relative to streaming consumption. Streaming reached a record 40.3% share of total TV usage in June 2024, marking the highest share ever recorded for any single category in The Gauge's history, surpassing the previous record of 40.1% set by cable in June 2021. These viewing pattern shifts create measurement imperatives for accurate cross-platform audience data.

Roku's technical infrastructure supporting growth includes partnerships with major advertising technology providers. Recent collaborations with measurement companies enhance campaign tracking capabilities while data partnerships with retailers enable shoppable advertising experiences. Roku launched Data Cloud in January 2025, providing advertisers and agencies access to proprietary television viewing data from Roku's operating system through clean room technology.

The strategic partnership between Nielsen and Roku reflects fundamental changes in television advertising as the industry transitions from traditional broadcast and cable delivery to streaming consumption. Measurement accuracy becomes increasingly critical as advertisers require precise audience data to justify budget allocations across platforms. The integration of Roku's viewing data into Nielsen's measurement suite addresses this imperative while providing Roku with competitive intelligence through Streaming Platform Ratings access.

For advertising professionals navigating connected television campaigns, the partnership delivers enhanced measurement capabilities across one of the largest streaming footprints in the United States. Roku devices alone account for more than 21% of all TV viewing, making accurate measurement of this viewership essential for comprehensive campaign planning and optimization. The combination of Nielsen's measurement expertise with Roku's scale creates infrastructure for more effective streaming advertising execution.

The Roku Channel's performance as the second-largest streaming app by share of ad-supported TV time demonstrates the platform's competitive position in free ad-supported streaming television. This ranking reflects both the service's content strategy and audience engagement patterns that advertisers seek when allocating budgets to streaming platforms. The combination of scale, ad-supported viewing hours, and measurement capabilities positions The Roku Channel as a significant inventory source for television advertising campaigns.

Nielsen's measurement approach has incorporated multiple innovations to address streaming complexity. The company launched an interoperable measurement ecosystem with Realeyes partnership in August 2025, integrating attention metrics into campaign effectiveness measurement. These innovations reflect industry demand for measurement that extends beyond basic viewership to encompass engagement quality and advertising effectiveness.

The multi-year nature of the strategic partnership provides stability for both companies as the television industry continues transforming. Long-term agreements enable technical integration development and refinement over time, addressing measurement challenges that emerge as streaming platforms introduce new content formats and advertising products. This strategic alignment positions both Nielsen and Roku to influence measurement standards as the industry establishes new norms for streaming television.

Timeline

• November 2024: Nielsen receives accreditation for first-party live streaming measurement
• January 2025: Nielsen ends legacy panel-only TV ratings, transitions to Big Data + Panel approach
• February 2025: Nielsen announces Out-of-Home measurement covers 100% of U.S. contiguous television population
• June 2025: Amazon Ads and Roku announce largest authenticated CTV partnership
• July 2025: Roku-powered devices capture 21.4% of total TV viewing time, third consecutive month surpassing broadcast
• August 2025: Nielsen launches interoperable measurement ecosystem with Realeyes partnership
• September 2025: Nielsen launches Big Data + Panel measurement for 2025 TV season
• October 2025: Nielsen Streaming Ratings data shows The Roku Channel ranks #2 in ad-supported TV time
• December 22, 2025: Nielsen and Roku announce expansion of strategic measurement partnership

Summary

Who: Nielsen, a global leader in audience measurement, data, and analytics, and Roku, a leading TV streaming platform, announced the partnership expansion. Key executives quoted include Ameneh Atai, GM of Audience Measurement at Nielsen, and Sarah Harms, Vice President of Marketing and Measurement at Roku.

What: A multi-year strategic partnership expansion that integrates Roku's large-scale TV viewing data into Nielsen's Big Data + Panel measurement for both Linear and Streaming Ratings. Roku gains access to Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings. The announcement also revealed that The Roku Channel has become the second-largest streaming app based on share of ad-supported TV time according to Nielsen Streaming Ratings from October 2025.

When: The announcement was made on December 22, 2025. The partnership builds on years of collaboration and extends the relationship into a new multi-year phase. Nielsen's Big Data + Panel measurement began implementation in September 2025 for the broadcast season, and the Roku Channel ranking data comes from Nielsen Streaming Ratings for October 2025.

Where: The partnership operates across the United States television market, where streaming on Roku devices alone accounts for more than 21% of all TV viewing according to Nielsen TV Ratings from October 2025. Nielsen measures more than 1 trillion minutes of viewing across all streaming apps in a typical month.

Why: The partnership addresses measurement accuracy needs as streaming continues to reshape television advertising. With approximately seven in 10 TV streaming hours now ad-supported according to Nielsen, accurate measurement across platforms becomes essential for advertisers. The integration of Roku's data provides more accurate performance results for advertisers running campaigns on Roku and across the broader TV landscape, while Roku's access to Nielsen's Streaming Platform Ratings enables comprehensive understanding of audience engagement with subscription and ad-supported services.