Google courts YouTube advertisers with Nielsen view tracking

In an attempt to court bigger advertisers, Google is beginning to allow Nielsen to track ad views on YouTube, reports Adweek. Until recently, Google would only provide its own metrics on the success of YouTube ads — something that marketers didn’t like. “I am not going to buy from Turner and accept an affidavit from Turner saying their TV ads work, am I?” one media executive explains to The Wall Street Journal, using Time Warner ads as an example. By enabling Nielsen tracking — something many advertisers already rely on elsewhere — Google will be able to better demonstrate how effective YouTube’s ads actually are.

The Journal reports that Google began allowing ComScore to offer a similar service before Nielsen, but that Nielsen’s familiarity makes it the preferred option for some. Though Nielsen had previously been barred from attaching tracking tags onto ads, they’ll reportedly soon be allowed on all Google sites by early next year. Google confirmed the change to the Journal, saying that it was in response to advertisers looking for meaningful measurements of ads’ success. Google has been experimenting with changes that could make its ad business more profitable, and by allowing Nielsen to step in, YouTube could start seeing bigger ad deals than before — that is, if Nielsen’s tracking numbers come out in its favor.