Nielsen Sets Up Camp in YouTube, With Advertisers in Tow

By Anders Bylund – Nov 16, 2013 at 6:30PM

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Nielsen is finally bringing its media measurement know-how to YouTube, after years of having Google turn down the TV ratings people. Why is this a big deal for Google investors?

Nielsen (NLSN) has been asking Google (GOOGL 10.22%) to add tracking codes to YouTube videos for years, but Google has refused. Why wouldn't you just trust YouTube's own viewing numbers?

But Big G has finally come around to Nielsen's worldview, opening up YouTube videos and other Google-owned media to third-party eyeball tracking. Ad buyers want to know more than just how many video hits "Gangnam Style" has amassed (1.8 billion, for the record). In the following video, Fool analyst, former Nielsen worker, and all-around cool customer Anders Bylund explains why this is a big deal.

Fool contributor Anders Bylund owns shares of Google. Check out Anders' bio and holdings, or follow him on Twitter, LinkedIn, and Google+.

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