Nielsen, the firm best known for measuring TV ratings, is adding a new focus to its work. According to a press release, the org has launched Gracenote Inclusion Analytics in order to track diversity and inclusion in television — specifically the gender, race, ethnicity, and sexual orientation of on-screen talent and viewership. The goal is to provide “content creators, owners, distributors, and advertisers with much-needed data around on-screen diversity and representation to enable more inclusive content.”
Per Nielsen, Gracenote Inclusion Analytics’ data will be ethically and financially useful. Insights into inclusion and diversity in TV can drive recommendations among fans, help studios meet Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) targets, and guide advertising.
“Gracenote Inclusion Analytics marries industry-leading Gracenote Global Video program metadata and Studio System celebrity race and ethnicity data with currency grade Nielsen Television Ratings and Nielsen SVOD Content Ratings data,” the release details. “Based on these inputs, the solution delivers new proprietary metrics assessing the degree to which different identity groups are featured in programming and how evenly this reflects viewing audiences.”
For example, the Share of Screen metric quantifies a specific identity group’s (women, LGBTQ, Black) representation among on-screen talent. The Inclusion Opportunity Index compares that figure to the group’s representation in real-life population, and the Inclusion Audience Index compares the Share of Screen metric to the group’s representation among viewers.
“The entertainment industry has a massive challenge ahead – to ensure the talent associated with popular TV programming mirrors today’s increasingly diverse viewing audiences,” said Sandra Sims-Williams, Nielsen’s SVP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. “By democratizing information around representation in content, Gracenote Inclusion Analytics holds the power to push the industry toward better balance and a more equitable future.”
Tina Wilson, Head of Analytics at Nielsen, added, “Audiences today actively seek out programs that highlight people who resemble them and experiences that reflect their own. Under these circumstances, it’s critical that the entertainment industry create authentic content which resonates with underrepresented groups. Together, Nielsen and Gracenote are uniquely positioned to help the industry seize upon this opportunity by way of new data analytics solutions ensuring meaningful connections between content and audiences.”
As of now, Gracenote Inclusion Analytics will gather inclusion and diversity data for popular broadcast, cable, and streaming/VOD TV programs. It aims to expand its scope to theatrical films and behind-the-scenes talent in the future.
