In September, Nielsen intends to launch "Big Data" as a currency

Nielsen plans to make panel data and big-data measurement tools accessible as its preferred currency in September following the implementation of its upfront deals.

When the upfront deals that were struck this spring come into effect in September, Nielsen said it intends to make its combination of panel data and big-data measurement tools accessible for use as its preferred currency.

Big data from Comcast, Roku, Vizio, Dish Network, and DirecTV is being integrated by Nielsen into its new measuring systems. In order to integrate their data with its service, Nielsen is also reaching out to streamers.

The new ratings are produced by combining the huge data, which comes from 75 million devices and 45 million households, with the 40,000 households that are part of Nielsen's panel. By using the panel as a "truth set," Nielsen is able to provide person-level data and eliminate biases, mistakes, and other flaws from the large data sets it works with.

Using big data makes Nielsen's audience estimates more sensitive and stable at a time when viewing is more fragmented than ever. According to Nielsen's chief product officer, Deirdre Thomas, there are fewer instances of programs or demographic groups appearing in the sample with no viewers — a phenomenon known as "zero cells."

Pete Doe, chief research officer at Nielsen, adding that the company's use of big data raises viewing levels by 4% to 5%. Younger viewers see higher viewing levels than older viewers do.