Nielsen Holdings, a US-based rating company, has entered into an agreement with DISH Network to enhance its business service to the global standard. In connection with this multi-year deal, Nielsen plans to license set-box data from Dish. The rating firm intends to combine Dish's set-top box data with its measurement panel in order to provide a coarser look to its TV rating business.

Nielsen noted that DISH data set from millions of household will be merged with real visions from Nielsen's domestic markets, providing a better understanding of broadcasting habits to the industry. Steve Hasker, Nielsen's chief operating officer, said that the company is pouring huge money into new technologies to provide better viewing service to its clients. "As the global leader in audience measurement, this is another step in our efforts to integrate big data into our portfolio and our Total Audience efforts," he added.

In the initial stage, the data set will be combined with the company's domestic TV rating service covering all 210 market regions. Nielsen can control DISH's data set to balance its national and domestic products like Nielsen Data Fusion, many national insight services, Nielsen Scarborough and Nielsen Media Custom Insight. The partnership also allows Nielsen to utilize the data set for improving its marketing ability as well as enrich ad revenue solutions like Auto, Retail, and CPG. According to Warren Schlichting, executive vice president of media sales, programming, and marketing at DISH Network, this new deal will enable networks and advertisers to enhance their programming and marketing decisions despite the volatility in the TV industry.

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL noted that the data set from DISH Network will help the company to contest with Rentrak, a product of its business rival comScore that dominates the broadcasting industry with its cheap set-up-box data. However, these products cannot disapprove the supremacy of Nielsen's measurement. While its peers lack advanced measuring tools, the company has the unique capacity to gather demographic information on spectators.

Dave Morgan, chief of Simulmedia, said that Nielsen is being paid to be criticized and as a referee in the industry it has to bear with it. The company, which collects information on 40,000 viewers across the US, does not provide a report for programs that lure less than 10,000 audiences.

Meanwhile, TD Asset Management increased its shareholdings in DISH Network by 29.1% during the final quarter of 2015. The hedge fund purchased 4,210 more shares in the company during the period. In addition, Candriam Luxembourg boosted its shareholding in the firm by 45.6% after purchasing an additional 5,039 shares in the fourth quarter. Currently, the net value of Candriam's shareholding in DISH amounts to $919,000, as reported by Financial Market News.

DISH shares declined 0.82% in the mid-day trading session on Monday. The company's partnership with Nielsen will allow it to make better programming and marketing decision.