••• media research
Nielsen tracks video on-the-go
Quality of mobile and Wi-Fi networks
Nielsen, New York, has launched Mobile Video Performance, a video performance evaluation solution for IP-based video content delivery. The solution evaluates streaming video quality on mobile and Wi-Fi networks, benchmarks data across the industry and rates individual players on factors that contribute to positive customer experiences.
Nielsen Mobile Video Performance focuses on four performance indicators: video resolution – percent of viewing time in different viewing resolutions ranging from mobile (low-definition) to HD (high-definition); start-up time – the number of seconds it takes for video to load and play; rebuffering – the total duration in seconds that the video stalls during playback; and video success rate – the ability to launch and play a video in 60 seconds.
The service uses a panel of 70,000 U.S.-based participants to conduct a combination of active and passive video tests on mobile devices around the country. Nielsen’s passive testing method captures data on daily consumer mobile usage including network speeds of popular video platforms. Proprietary active testing techniques focus on the delivery and execution of pre-selected content, providing mobile operators, Internet service providers, device manufacturers and content providers a holistic view of network performance by region, consumer consumption intelligence as well as marketing insights to maximize ROI, inform product development and refine market segmentation.
According to data gathered by Nielsen, the industry’s most notable mobile operators deliver HD (720p or greater) quality video 69 percent of the time. By contrast, services at the opposite end of the spectrum deliver HD quality video only 39 percent of the time. With the industry average at 53 percent, Nielsen Mobile Video Performance solution identifies which players are over-delivering and those that are heavily underperforming in providing high-quality video experiences.
••• segmentation research
Product combines consumers’ desktop and mobile behaviors
Pairs with Media Metrix Multi-Platform
Reston, Va., firm comScore has introduced Plan Metrix Multi-Platform, which combines consumers’ desktop and mobile behavior with information about their lifestyles, interests, attitudes, demographics and behaviors. Plan Metrix Multi-Platform reports nearly 4,000 different attributes across a range of interests and activities, including automotive, beauty, electronics/computers, financial, food and beverage, health, home and living, retail and apparel, sports and leisure, travel, clothes and fashion and more.
The introduction of multi-platform data further aligns Plan Metrix reporting with comScore’s digital audience product, Media Metrix Multi-Platform. Publishers who already use multi-platform audience data to articulate the size and demographic composition of their audiences now have a parallel data set that provides additional intelligence on the interests, lifestyles and behaviors of these same audiences.
••• text analysis
Lexalytics intros machine learning platform
Beta of storage framework
Boston-based text analytics solutions firm Lexalytics has launched AI Assembler, a machine learning platform designed to simplify and accelerate the gaining of insights from large quantities of natural language data. The company is also launching a limited-availability beta release of Semantria Storage & Visualization, a content storage, aggregation, search and reporting framework that provides a single access point to interact with data.
AI Assembler is a pipeline for building machine learning-based, artificial intelligence applications for natural language processing. AI Assembler includes the following: multiple curated, machine learning algorithms for analyzing a variety of text data, from short, jargon-filled tweets to long, technical contracts and research papers; automated hyperparameter optimization of the machine learning algorithms; and operationalized AI incorporating standard processes (logging, undo/redo, maintenance of gold-standard test sets, structured maintenance and improvement of models, and rebuilding of independent models) to simplify, automate and enforce key procedural action items.
Semantria Storage & Visualization connects Lexalytics’ existing products – including AI Assembler, Salience, Semantria and Semantria for Excel – with a flexible search and reporting framework. Semantria Storage & Visualization features include: rich filtering and search of processed content; content storage and aggregation with the capability of storing billions of documents in one place; and reporting and graphical representations of data insights to enable sharing across teams and departments, including templates for Tableau and other BI platforms.
••• research platforms
Confirmit updates Horizons
Version 23 includes machine-learning text analytics
Oslo, Norway, researcher Confirmit has added end-to-end usability enhancements and machine learning-powered analytics to the latest version of its Confirmit Horizons platform. Confirmit Horizons Version 23 offers the text analytics in Confirmit Genius, responding to the need for using the right analytics to enhance decision-making. Additional usability enhancements include new features in Confirmit SmartHub for advanced hierarchy management, for respondent upload and for feedback source-mapping. This release also introduces Confirmit Go, an app for business users who need on-the-go access to case management using Confirmit Action Management. The company’s software has also been successfully audited for SOC 2 compliance and is prepared for the upcoming General Data Protection Directive.
••• Briefly
London-based researcher Verve has launched Global Pop Up Communities, an online qualitative approach using multi-country pop-up communities. The communities are available in 40 major markets and a number of minor markets and are local language-moderated with video captions.
Amsterdam-based chat research platform Upinion has integrated with Facebook Messenger, allowing clients to invite anyone to a conversation on their Facebook page, with the goal of providing better access to respondents and Facebook followers.
Shelton, Conn., researcher SSI has formed a loyalty rewards partnership with casino entertainment company Caesars Entertainment Corporation. Say and Play is an online survey community created for members of Caesars Entertainment’s Total Rewards program. Members are rewarded with additional Reward Credits each time they complete a survey. Reward Credits can be redeemed for hotel stays, free casino play, dining and other things.
Branded Research, San Diego, has rebranded its survey community MintVine to Branded Surveys. Branded Surveys now includes the following enhancements: Branded Pay, which offers additional reward options and improvements to cash out redemptions; Branded Elite, a new member loyalty program; and Survey Matching Engine, which more precisely assigns members with research opportunities based on their demographic and behavioral profiles.
Study Hall Research, Tampa, Fla., is adding features to its Digital Dialogue online engagement platform for 2018, including the ability to handle larger respondent populations, expanded and enhanced image and video capabilities and enhanced summary and reporting tools.
Nielsen, New York, has launched its Nielsen Marketing Cloud in APAC, beginning its expansion in Hong Kong and anticipating additional APAC market launches in the near future.
Ipsos Healthcare has launched the Severe Asthma Therapy Monitor in the U.S., with other markets to follow. The study will combine patient data with the perceptions of treating doctors, providing subscribers with a 360-degree view of the severe asthma treatment landscape.
Colorado Springs, Colo., research firm Elevated Insights has published a new e-book, Beating the Cheaters, available for free at researchelevatedinsights.com.