The Media Rating Council has granted measurement company Comscore national accreditation.

Top line

Ahead of the 2024 upfronts, Comscore will be able to tout accreditation for the Total Household Rating and Average Audience estimates in both its national and local TV Time-Based Grid reports.

Between the lines

This makes Comscore the only measurement company accredited for local TV measurement and also leveraging “big data” science and methodology.

“Achieving MRC accreditation is a banner moment for Comscore, and positions us as the only accredited company for ‘big data’ reporting for both local TV and at the national level using the same methodology. It underscores Comscore’s dedication to delivering unparalleled data quality and reliability to our clients, setting new standards for measurement with national scale and local precision,” Jon Carpenter, CEO of Comscore, said in a statement.

“The insights we’re now able to deliver, built on MRC-accredited big data measurement, are a massive differentiator for Comscore amid rapid change in the market.”

Comscore’s TV estimates for households overlayed with age and gender demographic breaks, and households with compositions, are currently not accredited by the MRC, though are part of an ongoing review.

“Comscore is to be commended for the significant effort they have made over a number of years to put enhancements and upgrades into place in response to our feedback,” George Ivie, executive director and CEO of the MRC, said in a statement. “The commitment and dedication that the Comscore team has demonstrated has been exemplary and has led directly to the accreditation they’ve achieved today, a distinction which will benefit the industry as a whole.”

Bottom line

Comscore joins Nielsen as the only measurement companies nationally accredited by the MRC.

Nielsen currently has accreditation for its National TV Audience Measurement service, following its suspension in 2021. The service was reaccredited in 2023, but the reinstatement did not include the digital TV ratings component of Nielsen’s Television Audience Measurement service nor Nielsen’s Local Market Television Service, which remain in a suspended status and under review.