How VideoAmp and Nielsen Stepped Back From MRC Review

Two prominent audience-measurement providers have pulled out of the Media Rating Council’s accreditation process, according to a recent MRC status update. VideoAmp, which had completed its pre-audit in July 2024, was removed from in-process status due to a lack of intent to continue the audit, effectively ending its pursuit of MRC accreditation. Nielsen’s new cross-platform service, Nielsen One, suffered a similar fate: after receiving a pre-audit review in July 2025, it too was withdrawn by the company.

Neither firm disclosed specific reasons for the move, but the departures come at a time of fierce competition among measurement companies. VideoAmp, along with Comscore and iSpot, has been positioning itself as a so-called alternative currency to Nielsen’s dominant ratings. Meanwhile, Nielsen remains the industry’s most widely used measurement standard, though its foray into digital and streaming measurement with Nielsen One is still being evaluated by buyers and sellers.

The withdrawals leave Comscore as the only firm among the alternative currency challengers to have secured full MRC accreditation for its national TV service, granted in March. The absence of MRC backing for VideoAmp and Nielsen One could influence how agencies and advertisers assess the reliability of their data for planning and transacting ad campaigns.

What the Withdrawals Mean for the Measurement Marketplace

A Blow to the Legitimacy of Alternative Currencies

VideoAmp’s decision to abandon the MRC process removes a key stamp of third-party validation that many advertisers demand before trusting a new measurement source for budget allocation. Although the company remains certified by the industry joint committee organized by OpenAP, that body does not carry the same weight as the MRC’s rigorous, independent review. For media agencies already cautious about leaning too heavily on newer vendors, the withdrawal reinforces the perception that alternative currencies are not yet ready to serve as de facto standards.

Nielsen’s Quiet Retreat Signals Strategic Shift

Nielsen’s withdrawal is more ambiguous. The company had been investing heavily in Nielsen One to measure audiences across linear, CTV, and digital. Walking away from an ongoing MRC pre-audit could suggest that Nielsen believes its market position does not require the official seal, or that resolving issues flagged during the review would have been too resource-intensive. Either way, it leaves advertisers without a fresh, independent benchmark for the very metric that underpins the bulk of TV ad transactions.

ANA’s Aquila: A Truthset, Not a Currency

While the alternative currency turmoil unfolds, the Association of National Advertisers’ Aquila service, backed by major platforms including Amazon, Google, Meta, TikTok, and iHeartMedia, aims to serve as a truthset for de-duplicated reach and frequency across platforms. It is explicitly not intended as a buying currency, but its emergence underscores how the market is splitting between transactional currencies and cross-media verification tools. The MRC withdrawals add complexity to an already fragmented landscape where no single source commands universal trust.

For Advertisers and Media Sellers: Practical Next Steps

For Advertisers

  • Request detailed methodology documentation from any alternative currency provider you consider using. With MRC accreditation now off the table for some players, you must independently vet how data is integrated, calibrated, and deduplicated across screens.
  • Re-evaluate reliance on Nielsen as a sole currency. Comscore’s full MRC accreditation for national TV offers a credible, independently vetted alternative for linear campaigns. Build parallel tests using at least two sources to compare reach and frequency numbers.
  • Watch Aquila’s evolution closely. Even though it is not a trading currency, its multi-platform truthset could become a valuable layer of verification once it is more widely adopted by both buyers and sellers.

For Media Sellers and Publishers

  • Be transparent about the measurement sources you support. As advertisers grow warier of unaccredited data, supporting only those alternative currencies that can demonstrate rigorous methodology will be a competitive advantage in negotiations.
  • Advocate for industry-wide standardization that goes beyond picking and choosing favorable metrics. The current patchwork of proprietary numbers makes cross-platform comparisons nearly impossible and ultimately erodes buyer confidence.

Risk & Opportunity Assessment

Commercial RiskMediumAdvertisers may hesitate to shift significant spend to measurement providers that lack MRC accreditation, potentially limiting VideoAmp’s revenue growth and delaying the adoption of alternative currencies.
Competitive RiskMediumComscore’s accredited status gives it a clear advantage over VideoAmp and iSpot; Nielsen’s withdrawal from its own accreditation process could embolden competitors to challenge its dominance in cross-platform measurement.
Regulatory RiskLowThe MRC process is voluntary, and no regulatory mandate currently requires accredited measurement. However, any future move toward mandated standards by the JIC or ANA could raise the cost of bypassing accreditation.
Reputation RiskMediumFor companies that publicly touted their pursuit of MRC accreditation, pulling out may be perceived as a sign that internal metrics do not meet the industry’s most rigorous standards, damaging trust among skeptical advertisers.
Technology DisruptionHighThe emergence of ANA’s Aquila as a non-currency truthset and continued investment in AI-driven, privacy-safe measurement techniques are reshaping the very definition of audience measurement, potentially making traditional accreditation frameworks less relevant.
Commercial OpportunityLowFor VideoAmp, freeing up resources from the MRC process could accelerate product development, but the immediate commercial opportunity is limited because many large agency holding companies still mandate accredited data for major TV buys.