Our favorite enigma

According to a panel of industry insiders, finding a solution to measuring the viewership of online video could have rolling implications for traditional TV, reports MediaPost.

The solution for online measurement could be in the form of a new product from Nielsen, "Video Census," that combines census data with traditional panels.

Nielsen's offering relies on publishers "tagging" videos so Nielsen can gather user data.

Information gleaned from online streaming would, at some point in the future, be put together with that gathered from set-top boxes and panels into one cohesive bundle of data.

Achieving total audience measurement is becoming more and more essential for everyone involved as broadcasters build out their online video offerings.

Having that information to sell to advertisers would be valuable to show that people are still watching a program, either online or on TV, so advertisers know how (and when) to follow their audience.

The panel, hosted by the IAB in New York, was part of a day-long forum on audience measurement. It included representatives from Nielsen, Quantcast and others.