Google steps up TV advertising push

Google has inked a deal with Nielsen to provide viewer data to the Google TV Ads service.

First launched in April this year as a trial, Google TV Ads offers a way to better target television commercials. The system offers an auction system to determine prices at certain time slots.

The Nielsen data is intended to provide advertisers with better demographic data on viewer audiences. It will augment the data Google collects through the set-top boxes from its cable and satellite partners.

The result, says Google, will offer a more complete picture of precisely who is watching at a given time, allowing advertisers to reach their desired audience.

Advertisers are not the only group that will potentially see a benefit from the new data. Because the TV Ads service charges advertisers for each set-top box impression, having more precisely targeted ads can also provide Google more money.

Google TV Ads mimics the search engine's AdSense program for online advertisements, which charges only for ads that are clicked. Advertisers purchase time by bidding on specific time slots within programs. The charges are then determined by the number of television sets that actually display the advertisement.

TV Ads may not be the only platform on which Google and Nielsen partner up. The two companies said that they would "explore a number of other opportunities " on which to collaborate.

Over the last year Nielsen has revamped its online ratings, retooling its criteria and adding video game data to its rating services.

Google has likewise been expanding its AdWords program, launching programs for radio and print media, along with the TV service.