Why Nielsen is betting big on India as its innovation powerhouse

Streaming is no longer a side dish in India’s media consumption menu—it’s fast becoming the main course. According to Nielsen’s latest 'The Gauge' report, streaming accounted for a record 44.8% of total TV usage in May this year. What’s more, overall streaming consumption has grown 71% since 2021, with platforms like YouTube, Netflix, and others driving this sharp uptick. FAST (Free Ad-Supported Streaming TV) services such as PlutoTV, Roku Channel, and Tubi are also making inroads, collectively accounting for 5.7% of TV viewing in the same period.

And it’s this dramatic shift that has Nielsen betting big on India—not just as a market, but as a hotbed of innovation.

“India is a fairly fast-growing media market,” says Anil Goel, chief technology officer at Nielsen. “It’s unique in that both traditional formats like linear TV and print remain relevant while streaming and short-form content explode. That makes it one of the most diverse media ecosystems globally.”

Betting on India for growth and innovation

Nielsen, a global leader in media measurement, sees India through a twin lens. First, as a massive and increasingly fragmented consumer market, and second, as a strategic innovation hub. Over the last year, the company has doubled down on India, expanding its innovation centers in Bengaluru and Mumbai, and setting up satellite teams in Gurgaon and Hyderabad.

“In the past year alone, we’ve added over 3,000 associates in India, and this year we plan to add another 1,000,” says Goel. “This includes engineers, AI scientists, data analysts—the kind of talent you’d typically hire in Silicon Valley.”

Goel is convinced the Indian tech talent pool is second to none. “I can confidently say, the talent we’re hiring in India today is on par with what I’d hire in the Bay Area,” he adds.

Complexity of India’s market

Despite its promise, India is not an easy market to crack. A large share of media consumption happens on mobile phones, often with patchy network coverage and lower-end devices. Add to this a younger, short-attention-span demographic, and content platforms have a serious challenge on their hands.

“Technologically, it’s one of the most challenging markets to develop for,” says Goel. “You have to ensure your product works across a wide range of devices, networks, and consumption behaviours.”

But for Nielsen, this complexity is an opportunity. The company uses India as a testing ground for new mobile measurement technologies and rapid product experimentation. “Consumers here are more open to trying new things. We can roll out features faster and get instant feedback,” says Goel.

Meanwhile, with linear TV audiences declining and streaming platforms seeing a surge globally and in India, Nielsen has had to overhaul its measurement strategy. “We’ve evolved from being a linear measurement company to an all-platform measurement company,” says Goel.

While traditional TV was relatively straightforward to measure, the streaming ecosystem is a different beast. Each platform has its own data protection systems and access restrictions. “To get a complete picture, we use a mix of proprietary hardware, software meters, partnerships with OEMs and platforms, and our own large audience panels,” he explains.

One key differentiator for Nielsen is its ability to account for co-viewership—something platforms with only first-party data often miss. “They may know a device is playing content, but not how many people are actually watching,” says Goel. “Nielsen’s demographic models and identity graph help fill in those gaps.”

Nielsen also manages over 70 petabytes of data and generates over 100 terabytes every day. “This makes us one of the largest media intelligence platforms globally,” says Goel.

Going ahead

As India’s creator economy booms—with YouTube Shorts, Instagram Reels, and other user-generated formats surging—Nielsen is focused on keeping pace. That means evolving measurement tools to handle second-by-second data (critical for short-form video), capturing more nuanced psychographic insights, and expanding its regional language footprint.

“There’s a flood of new content every day. AI is accelerating that,” Goel says. “So for consumers, surfacing relevant content is becoming harder. And for platforms, understanding what sticks is more important than ever.”

Still, even as audiences migrate to streaming and new formats emerge, Goel believes traditional platforms like linear TV and print will continue to coexist in India—albeit with a shrinking slice of the pie.