JioHotstar-Nielsen collab to help advertisers make data-driven decisions: Ishan Chatterjee

In a strategic move ahead of Tata IPL 2025, JioHotstar has joined forces with global data analytics and audience measurement leader, Nielsen, to enhance digital ad measurement.

This collaboration aims to introduce an independent, third-party-validated system that will provide advertisers with granular insights into their campaigns, ensuring higher accuracy and accountability.

Through this partnership, Nielsen will deploy advanced measurement tools, including Nielsen One Ads (formerly Digital Ad Ratings) and the newly developed Volumetric and Reach Analysis on the JioHotstar platform. These tools will offer advertisers detailed data on key performance metrics such as impressions, clicks, campaign reach, and on-target reach, enabling them to optimize their digital ad strategies with real-time insights.

During a one-on-one conversation with exchange4media, Ishan Chatterjee, Chief Business Officer, Sports Revenue, SMB & Creator, JioStar; Arnaud Frade, President (Commercial), Asia, Nielsen; and Hemant Kewalya, Executive Director - Audience Measurement, Nielsen India, shared their perspectives on how this partnership is set to redefine digital ad measurement and accountability in the Indian streaming space.

Edited Excerpts

What prompted the collaboration between JioHotstar and Nielsen and what key outcomes are expected from this partnership?

Ishan Chatterjee: One of the biggest shifts in the sports viewing landscape over the past year has been the rapid growth of digital alongside linear TV. However, a key challenge for digital has always been the lack of a comprehensive ad measurement system to help advertisers evaluate the effectiveness of their campaigns. In today’s environment, where every ad impression counts, addressing this gap is more important than ever.

That’s why we are taking a major step forward today by revolutionizing ad measurement for live sports. In collaboration with Nielsen—the global leader in ad measurement—we are launching a trusted digital ad measurement tool, just in time for the biggest cricket extravaganza of the year: Tata IPL 2025.

For the first time, all our advertisers and agency partners will have access to campaign-level insights, thanks to this dedicated collaboration. By establishing a data pipeline, Nielsen will leverage its deep expertise in audience measurement and apply it to JioHotstar's first-party data. This means advertisers will now receive detailed performance metrics, including impressions, clicks, campaign reach, and on-target reach – all in near real time – allowing them to make informed, data-driven decisions.

This launch underscores our commitment to transparency in the digital ecosystem, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this to market just ahead of Tata IPL.

Arnaud Frade: We are witnessing a significant fragmentation in content consumption across the world. In India, in particular, there has been a major surge in digital consumption across multiple platforms, including CTV, mobile, tablets, and computers. Given this shift, independent third-party measurement is essential to truly understand ad exposure—who is seeing these ads, their demographic composition, how many ads are being served, and how many are being clicked on.

This is a natural evolution for India’s advertising industry, and we are absolutely thrilled to see this collaboration taking shape around arguably the most important sporting event of the year, as well as other areas like entertainment, with more developments to come. This initiative sends a strong signal to the industry: third-party independent measurement is crucial. Advertisers and agencies demand trusted, transparent measurement, and broadcasters and platforms are increasingly recognizing its value.

Some OTT platforms are already proactively embracing it, while others will inevitably follow, as it offers a much more powerful way to demonstrate the value of their content and the assets they develop. This is precisely why we are so excited about this collaboration—and, of course, about what’s still to come.

Hemant Kewalya: As Ishan and Arnaud both mentioned, this is the first time an Indian publisher has undertaken such an initiative, and with any first-time effort come unique challenges. There are multiple hurdles to overcome—numerous approvals to secure, various stakeholders to align, and complex methodologies to implement.

That said, this is a hugely positive development for the Indian ecosystem. For the first time, an Indian publisher is embracing transparency, which is truly encouraging. Hopefully, this move will inspire other publishers to step forward, collaborate with us, and contribute to strengthening this ecosystem. That, to me, is a very promising sign.

I would specifically like to acknowledge JioHotstar for being proactive in driving this initiative. Their commitment to transparent, third-party validated measurement has been instrumental in making this happen.

With IPL in focus, we were slightly behind schedule, but kudos to the Nielsen global team for their unwavering support in ensuring this was in place before the tournament begins.

With so many OTT platforms now competing for ad revenues, how does this move set JioHotstar apart in the digital advertising game?

Ishan Chatterjee: It wouldn’t be a surprise to say that advertising budgets and accountability for delivering outcomes are of paramount importance. To achieve this, transparency in the measurement ecosystem is crucial. As an advertiser, you need to know exactly what you’re paying for and what you’re getting in return. That’s why having our reach and key metrics validated by a credible third party—one with global expertise in ad measurement—is so important. It ensures that when we report a certain reach, advertisers can trust that it accurately reflects reality.

What truly sets this apart, however, is that this is the first time such a measurement system is being implemented for live sports. One of the biggest challenges is to manage audiences who come in at different points in time. It's difficult to estimate how many people will come in, what target demos will come in within the period of the match.  This third-party validation of campaign effectiveness is, therefore, an industry first in India.

It has never been done in India before, and we are very excited about this collaboration.

What makes Nielsen One Ads and the new Volumetric and reach analysis tools different from the existing measurement solutions that there are?

Arnaud Frade: Nielsen One Ads, formerly known as Nielsen DAR, is now the only tool that provides cumulative daily reach reporting. It gives you a sense of both how many ads are being served- so how many people actually see the ads and click on those, as well as the reach insights, including demographic breakdowns by age and gender. And so it's an incredibly powerful package.It’s an incredibly powerful package.

It matters because one of India’s biggest OTT platforms has proactively chosen to differentiate itself. While they already offer great content and world-class sporting events, they recognize that true differentiation also requires transparency in measuring ad effectiveness and impact.

This marks a significant shift in the industry. The biggest player has made a decisive commitment to transparency, equity of measurement, and adhering to global standards. Just as importantly, they are integrating all of this into a single, powerful dashboard—a game-changing tool for advertisers. This move not only enhances trust but also sets a new benchmark for the industry, reinforcing why independent validation and standardized measurement are more critical than ever.

With Nielsen and JioHotstar coming together, what are your expectations from advertisers?

Hemant: We are witnessing a steady rise in digital ad spending, and with this growth, advertisers increasingly seek transparency and independent third-party validation. They want reliable metrics to ensure their investments are well-measured, allowing them to track ROI, understand audience demographics, and, as Ishan mentioned, optimize ad delivery for maximum impact.

With this robust measurement system in place, advertiser confidence will strengthen, leading to deeper engagement with digital platforms and continuous enhancements in how ads are delivered and experienced.

How will this partnership enhance the ad experience for viewers by making ads more relevant and minimizing repetition?

Ishan Chatterjee: The promise of this initiative is to help advertisers make their campaigns more effective over time by providing third-party validated data on their actual performance. With these insights, advertisers can refine their targeting strategies, ensuring they reach the right audiences more effectively.

By fostering greater transparency, we hope this will not only improve advertiser outcomes but also enhance the viewer experience. More precise measurement means ads will be better targeted and more relevant, leading to a more engaging and less intrusive ad experience for audiences.

I’m optimistic that this is just the first step of a larger journey—one that will benefit both advertisers and viewers alike.

What new insights will advertisers get from Nielsen's tools?

Arnaud Frade: I think they're going to get a much more integrated view, obviously volumetric, combined to reach. Obviously, these are the hard data points, but it's also the ability to do this in a platform that integrates these different metrics, that can add to it, because there are more things that are coming down the pipe in terms of delivering further value to advertisers.

And I think that really is incredibly powerful. Another key advantage is near real-time access to data, with same-day or next-day reporting depending on the metric. This sophisticated dashboard enables advertisers to assess performance, measure effectiveness, and make faster, data-driven decisions to optimize their campaigns.

Additionally, as digital consumption shifts significantly towards mobile, towards CTV, towards other connected devices, advertisers need deeper insights into audience engagement—who is watching, how they are engaging, and which formats work best. This initiative doesn’t just benefit advertisers; it strengthens the entire ecosystem by enabling more efficient and relevant ad delivery, seamlessly integrated into the broader advertising flywheel. All of this is empowered by third- party, independent, and transparent measurement, ensuring credibility and trust across the industry.