Australia is one of only four markets which will see Nielsen expand its Twitter TV Ratings report to include Facebook data about people's TV related posts - both public and private - for the first time.
Nielsen will roll out the new information - dubbed Nielsen Social Content Ratings - looking at social media authorship (posts, tweets), engagement (comments, likes, replies, retweets), reach (audience and impressions) and demographics (age and gender), in four key territories: Australia, Italy, Mexico and the US.
At a date yet to be confirmed, but thought to be later in the year, Instagram will be the next platform to be incorporated into the offering.
Nielsen Australia head of social content ratings Scott Gillham told AdNews, "In addition to Twitter, Facebook and Instagram offers our network, agency and advertiser clients unprecedented measurement of social activity for TV content and even deeper insights around TV audience engagement".
Social Content Ratings will not just include information user's have shared publicly, but "aggregate-level program-related activity," meaning data which Facebook supplies the company on an anonymous basis.
The company is keen to stress that it respects and "is in full compliance with consumer privacy". Activity in Facebook Messenger is not included.
Social Content Ratings, it says, are designed to adhere to the social media measurement guidelines created by the Media Rating Council (MRC), with sponsorship and input from the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA).
Social media mentions of original video programming from TV and SVOD providers will be measured during linear airtimes, as well as on a 24-hours-a-day, seven-day-a-week basis.
"Every day, television fans from around the world use Facebook to talk about the shows and stars they love with the people that matter most to them," Facebook director of media partnerships Nick Grudin says.
"Fans connect with each other while the show is airing and continue throughout the week in between episodes. We're excited that Nielsen's Social Content Ratings will now reflect the social activity around television in its entirety."
Email Nicola at nicolariches@yaffa.com.au.