Part of Nielsen’s Total Audience strategy, it is the first nationwide data to be calibrated with Nielsen’s panel.

Anonymised data from millions of DISH households will be combined with insights from Nielsen’s local markets, offering deeper understanding of viewing habits.

Initially, the data provided by DISH will be integrated into Nielsen’s Local TV measurement service across 210 designated market areas. The agreement will also enable Nielsen to leverage DISH’s set-top box data to complement many of its local and national products including Nielsen Scarborough, Nielsen Data Fusion and Nielsen Media Custom Insights.

Nielsen will also use the data for its suite of marketing effectiveness and return on ad sales solutions, including CPG, retail and auto.

Warren Schlichting, DISH executive vice-president of marketing, programming and media sales, said: “Nielsen is the industry’s currency and adding aggregated DISH set-top box viewership data to Nielsen’s products will enhance the granularity and clarity of the insights that Nielsen provides. This will allow advertisers and networks to improve their marketing and programming decisions even as television viewing itself becomes more fragmented.”

DISH Network provides approximately 14 million pay-tv subscribers and offers more than 200 national HD channels.