nielsen-takes-another-crack-at-gauging-our-streaming-habits

Nielsen takes another crack at gauging our streaming habits

Nielsen, the nearly century-old research firm which produces the eponymous gold standard for television ratings, is taking a more serious look into how much Americans are streaming. The result of its labors: an ominously named rating system it calls The Gauge.

While Nielsen has tried to calculate the popularity of various streaming programs before (through audio analysis), The Gauge seems to hew closer to the ways Nielsen has measured TV viewership in the past: via a device which, according to The New York Times, “observes internet traffic that passes through a router.” Presumably, this device is attached directly to the televisions of the roughly 14,000 homes from which The Gauge currently gathers data, as the Times once again reports that the measurement does “not count what is watched on phones or laptops.”

The initial findings for May 2021, perhaps unsurprisingly then, skew in favor of regular old network and cable TV, which Nielsen predicts we spend about 64 percent of our living room screentime watching. Streaming, in total, racked up just 26 percent, with YouTube and Netflix making up 6 percent each, followed by Hulu, Amazon Prime, and Disney Plus with 3, 2, and 1 percent, respectively. But again, this is only measuring TV screen usage — not what’s happening on laptop, desktop, phone, or tablet screens — and even these metrics are difficult to put into perspective.

Image: Nielsen

Without much information on how Nielsen’s device works, it’s impossible to say if The Gauge is counting streams that might come through a streaming set-top box or gaming console that has its own internet connectivity and a physical connection to the TV — or, for that matter, streams from a secondary device that are cast to a TV. (We’ve reached out to Nielsen for additional details.)

Still, streaming services have shown themselves to be guarded where audience metrics are concerned, releasing next to no data on how many eyeballs their in-house shows or the content they pay to license receive. Netflix in particular has a reputation for being extremely selective in which titles it presents audience data for, and even then rarely providing more granular information such as whether viewers actually finished watching the damn thing. In that sense, The Gauge is a welcome change for an industry that’s enjoyed a very long stretch without transparency.

djokovic-vs-tsitsipas-live-stream:-how-to-watch-the-2021-french-open-men’s-final-for-free

Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream: how to watch the 2021 French Open Men’s Final for free

Novak Djokovic can win his second French Open title tomorrow – if he can beat talented Greek pro Stefanos Tsitsipas in the Men’s Singles Final at the Roland-Garros. Both players have aced their way to the finale, but who will win the legendary Grand Slam? UK fans can watch the 2021 French Open Men’s Final free on ITV Hub on Sunday! Make sure you know to watch a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream for free from anywhere.

Played at the Stade Roland-Garros in Paris annually, the French Open attracts the world’s top tennis players. Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic and Rafa Nadal found themselves in the same half of the draw but Federer withdrew at the quarter-final stage to protect his recovering knee injury, leaving the path clear for a Nadal–Djokovic semi-final.

World number three Nadal – the most successful player ever to have competed at the French Open – took a marathon first set but Djokovic levelled the match with the second, took the third set 7-6 and then cruised to victory in the fourth set. Nadal’s dream of 21st major title are now on hold.

Djokovic’s opponent, Stefanos Tsitsipas, faced a tough challenge it the semis. The Greek pro took the first two sets before 24-year-old German Alexander Zverev took the next two to level the match. But, in the end, it was Tsitsipas’ experience that won out as some 5000 Parisian fans cheered a masterful display (not to mention a few baseline zingers).

Djokovic has looked at home throughout this year’s Roland-Garros but can he fully recover from Friday night’s epic semi-final win over Nadal? Or will Tsitsipas win his first ever Grand Slam title? New balls please!

Here’s how to watch a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream for free, and catch the clay court action from anywhere in the world.

Watch Djokovic vs Tsitsipas free in the UK and Ireland

(Image credit: Wikipedia: By Michael Frey (Michael Frey) – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=29456976)

ITV has the rights to air the 2021 French Open in its entirety on ITV4. Provided you have a TV licence, it’s completely free to watch Djokovic vs Tsitsipas and can be accessed by any viewer located in the UK.

Away from UK during the tennis? Simply use a VPN to access ITV Hub from anywhere, without being blocked. We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Djokovic vs Tsitsipas will also be shown live on Eurosport which you can watch in both HD (channel 521 and 522) and in 4K HDR on Virgin Media (channel 205 and 999). 

Not a Eurosport subscriber? You can watch the 2021 French Open finals for £6.99 per month on Eurosport Player, or grab an annual pass for £39.99. Top tip: subscribe through Amazon Prime Video and get a free 7-day trial.

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Watch Djokovic vs Tsitsipas free from anywhere in the world using a VPN

Even if you have subscribed to the relevant Djokovic vs Tsitsipas rights holders, you won’t be able to use them when outside your own country. The service will know your location based on your IP address, and will automatically block your access.

A Virtual Private Network (VPN) helps you get around this obstacle. A VPN creates a private connection between your device and the internet, such that the servers and services you’re accessing aren’t aware of what you’re doing. All the information passing back and forth is entirely encrypted.

There are many VPN providers out there, with some more reliable and safe than others. As a rule, we’d suggest a paid-for service such as ExpressVPN which offers a 100 per cent risk-free money back guarantee. If you’re not happy with the service any time within the first 30-days, then you can cancel with no penalties at all.

French Open 2021 Try ExpressVPN risk-free for 30 days

ExpressVPN offers a 30-day money back guarantee with its VPN service. You can use it to watch on your mobile, tablet, laptop, TV, games console and more. There’s 24/7 customer support and three months free when you sign-up. Try it – it’s easier than you think.

Watch a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream in the USA

(Image credit: Wikipedia: By Vladsinger at English Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2262555)

NBC is broadcasting full live coverage of the 2021 French Open, including the Men’s Final between Novak Djokovic and Stefanos Tsitsipas. You’ll need a cable subscription to NBC Sports, which will also allow you to stream the tennis live, via the NBC Sports app. 

Don’t have cable? You can get a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream on Peacock TV, NBC’s streaming service. Peacock costs just $4.99 a month and includes thousands of movies, TV shows, kids content and other live sport.

Going to be away from the States during the tennis? Simply use a VPN to access Peacock TV from anywhere in the world, without being blocked. We recommend ExpressVPN as it comes with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.

Another option for is to watch NBC via a cable-replacement service such as Fubo TV. New subscribers get a 1-week free trial, cancel anytime. After that it’s $65 a month. So, not cheap, but Fubo does get you a ton of premium channels, from ESPN to A&E.

Lastly, US fans also have the option to subscribe to Tennis Channel Plus for $110 per year. This gets you Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream plus comprehensive coverage of over 100 ATP & WTA events.

Watch a free Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream in Australia

Channel 9’s Wide World of Sport is the place to see the 2021 French Open Men’s Singles Final live and free-to-air. Aussies can also get a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream via the 9now website.

Watch a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream in Europe

Eurosport holds the rights to broadcast the 2021 French Open Men’s Final in continental Europe.

You can get a Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live stream by purchasing a monthly or annual subscription to Eurosport Player here.

In France, you can see Djokovic vs Tsitsipas live on free-to-air channel France TV Sport. The same goes for Servus TV and ORF in Austria.

French Open 2021 schedule

(Image credit: Stade Roland Garros)

May 30th – June 1st: Round 1 

June 2nd – 3rd: Round 2 

June 4th – 5th: Round 3

June 6th – 7th: Round 4

June 8th -9th: Quarter-Finals 

June 10th -11th: Semi-Finals

June 12th: Women’s Singles Final

June 13th: Men’s Singles Final: Djokovic vs Tsitsipas

See Roland-Garros website for latest order of play

nbc-universal-to-show-the-olympics-in-4k-hdr-and-dolby-atmos

NBC Universal to show the Olympics in 4K HDR and Dolby Atmos

(Image credit: The Tokyo Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games)

NBCUniversal will air live coverage of the Tokyo Olympics in 4K HDR, a first for a US broadcaster. The NBC Olympics coverage will also be accompanied by Dolby Atmos surround sound.

Events that will be featured in 4K HDR during the rearranged Tokyo ‘2020’ games include track and field, swimming, diving, tennis, beach volleyball, golf, gymnastics and more. 

NBCU has yet to announce the schedule, but with the Olympics said to be “100% happening” and the opening ceremony expected to get underway at 12pm BST on Friday 23rd July, the clock is very much ticking.

Accessing high-quality coverage of the world’s best sprinters and swimmers might not be as easy as it sounds, though. NBCUniversal notes that while it will distribute 4K HDR coverage to its partners (i.e. cable and satellite TV networks), it will be up to those partners to decide whether to broadcast the coverage in 4K HDR or step down to a lower quality.

Not a cable subscriber anyway? NBC has confirmed it will stream live coverage of “selected” Olympic events though its Peacock streaming platform, but hasn’t yet said whether any of those streams will be in the 4K HDR format. The Peacock app is available on a long list of devices that now includes most Samsung smart TVs. 

Still, with Japan’s borders closed to foreigners, and lingering uncertainty as to the level of athlete participation this year, NBCUniversal’s 4K HDR Atmos coverage could prove to be the best seat in house.

The BBC has the rights to broadcast the Olympics in the UK and has the capability to stream in 4K and HDR via the iPlayer app. Whether it will offer both for live events is yet to be confirmed, and the broadcaster has never offered Dolby Atmos before. There’s a first time for everything, though.

In need of a smarter set for Tokyo 2020? Here’s our guide to the best TVs and the best media streamers on the market. Live in Europe? BBC iPlayer and Eurosport 4K are expected to broadcast coverage of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in 4K HDR.

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