Last week, Nielsen//NetRatings unveiled its new video measurement service called VideoCensus. It is touting the service as the “first-ever syndicated online video measurement service to combine panel and census research methodologies.”

The level of detail that can be captured to measure is incredible. According to Nielsen//NetRatings, VideoCensus uses both desktop reporting and content-tagging technology. Video publishers attach a piece of NetRatings code to their video delivery platforms, which allows NetRatings to collect viewing activity.

The desktop part of the measurement comes from NetRatings panel members which allows full access to data from the end-user side, which can capture statistics like clicks, what’s being viewed, and lots more.

Nielsen//NetRatings and comScore have been trying to measure Internet video for many years now. And they’ve been measuring parts of the overall picture, but there’s no one place where sites and video publishers can go to find in-depth information. This can be a start. Because this information is only available to subscribers, we the public will probably never see this information.

I’m hoping Nielsen//NetRatings begins releasing aggregate anonymous information to the public.

Popularity: 14% [?]