This week on Next in Media, I sat down with Nielsen CEO Karthik Rao to get an inside look at the company’s transformation in a fast-evolving media landscape. From the explosive rise of YouTube on connected TVs to tackling fragmentation across platforms, Karthik breaks down how Nielsen is reinventing itself with big data, AI, and a mission to future-proof measurement.
We talked about the company’s response to public challenges, its roadmap for creator measurement, and why the shift to big data plus panel is more than just a tech upgrade—it’s a foundational change in how the industry understands audiences. Whether you're curious about the "currency wars," the power of creators, or the role AI could play in stitching together digital and linear, this episode delivers some fascinating insight straight from the top.
Timestamps:
[0:00] - Karthik Rao on AI’s role in unifying disparate parts of the media world
[1:07] - From CEO of Nielsen Global Media to CEO of Nielsen: Karthik’s journey
[2:36] - Why Nielsen’s transformation was necessary to keep up with fragmentation and streaming
[3:39] - The company’s shift from panel-only to big data plus panel—what that means and why it matters
[5:45] - Balancing innovation, trust, and marketplace readiness
[8:28] - What really happened with the NFL and how Nielsen navigated public scrutiny
[13:16] - Media negotiations in the press and why everyone keeps coming back to Nielsen
[15:01] - The underestimated breadth of Nielsen’s business beyond just ratings
[17:04] - AI’s game-changing potential in media buying and data integration
[20:01] - YouTube’s dominance on CTVs and why creator content is more serious than many assume
[22:57] - How Nielsen plans to help creators scale across media ecosystems
[25:56] - The current state of "currency wars" and why standardizing to human truths matters
[27:21] - Nielsen’s plan to measure podcasting’s evolving video/audio landscape
Links & Resources
- Learn more about Nielsen’s work at nielsen.com
- Explore Sabio’s platform: sabioctv.com
- 🎧Subscribe to Next in Media on Apple Podcasts
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