Warner Bros. Discovery signs multi-year deal with Nielsen

Warner Bros. Discovery has signed a new long-term agreement with Nielsen covering audience measurement across all of its platforms, including linear and streaming. The partnership takes effect immediately and will add expanded services in 2026.

Under the deal, Warner Bros. Discovery will continue using Nielsen’s Big Data + Panel as its currency for Upfront transactions. Beginning in 2026, the company will also adopt Nielsen’s Advanced Audience capabilities to enhance targeting and measurement across platforms.

Karthik Rao, Chief Executive Officer, Nielsen: "As our industry leading reports show, Warner Bros. Discovery is one of the top media companies in the world, consistently delivering hits for fans across every platform. Nielsen is the only company that can deliver measurement for every way that fans watch their shows, across all platforms. From streaming to linear and live to on demand, we give Warner Bros. Discovery the data they need to grow their business. We’re thrilled to extend our partnership so that we can deliver accurate data for Warner Bros. Discovery and our mutual advertising clients."

David Porter, Head of Ad Sales Data, Insights, and Research, Warner Bros. Discovery: "At WBD, our priority is to provide clients the most reliable tools and actionable insights to better reach their audiences and maximize their campaigns’ effectiveness. As the industry continues to accelerate currency innovation and optionality across the marketplace, Nielsen’s robust measurement capabilities will deliver our partners smarter data and solutions to better capture performance and viewership across all screens, further optimizing the impact of their ad spend and inventory."

The renewed agreement follows several recent Nielsen milestones. In January 2025, the company received accreditation for Big Data + Panel measurement, after gaining approval for a first-party live streaming solution in November 2024. Big Data + Panel is being used as Upfront currency for the first time this year, reinforcing Nielsen’s position as a key provider of cross-platform television and streaming measurement.

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