DCR Sweden Video iOS SDK

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Overview

The Nielsen SDK is one of the multiple framework SDKs that Nielsen provides to enable measuring linear (live) and on-demand TV viewing using TVs, mobile devices, etc. The App SDK is the framework for mobile application developers to integrate Nielsen Measurement into their media player applications. It supports a variety of Nielsen Measurement Products like Digital in TV Ratings (DTVR), Digital Content Ratings (DCR), and Digital Ad Ratings (DAR). Nielsen SDKs are also equipped to measure static content and can track key life cycle events of an application like:

• Application launch events and how long app was running

Prerequisites

Before you start the integration, you will need:

	Item	Description	Source
☑	App ID (appid)	Unique ID assigned to the player/site and configured by product.	Contact Nielsen
☑	Nielsen SDK	Includes SDK frameworks and sample implementation; "See iOS SDK Release Notes"	Download

Implementation

Version 8 of the Nielsen App SDK comes in three versions. One that is enabled to work with the App Tracking Transparency Framework, another version that does not use the Ad Framework, and a version for Kids Apps or where no ID is required.

SDK Flavor	Description
iOS Ad Version	* Opt-In and Opt-Out functionality managed by the AppTrackingTransparency framework. * The Nielsen SDK will attempt to collect the IDFA (Id for Advertisers) on the device. * For iOS14+, if the value returned is ATTrackingManager.AuthorizationStatus.authorized. * If the device is running iOS12 or iOS13, the Limit Ad Tracking setting is requested.
iOS No Ad Framework	* Without the Ad Framework, the Nielsen SDK cannot read the IDFA, so it will attempt to retrieve the ID for Vendors (IDFV). * The IDFV may be used for analytics across apps from the same content provider. * The developer is required to present the User Choice Optout page. The detailed requirement is described in the Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Opt-out Section.
iOS SDK No ID	* This version of the Nielsen SDK is perfect for Kid apps, or where no ID is required. * Please review the Global iOS SDK No ID Opt-out Section.

How to obtain the NielsenAppApi.Framework

The Nielsen AppSDK can either be downloaded directly or can be integrated directly within an application through the use of CocoaPods. We recommend using the CocoaPods-based integration whenever possible to ensure you maintain the most recent changes and enhancements to the Nielsen libraries.

• Select to obtain CocoaPods implementation guide
• Select to Download Directly
• Using the XCFramework bundle

Setting up your iOS Development Environment

Configuring Xcode Development Environment

Starting with SDK version 6.0.0.0, the Nielsen App SDK is compatible with Apple iOS versions 8.0 and above. In addition, the SDK uses the WKWebView class instead of the deprecated UIWebView as per Apple guidelines.

Importing Frameworks

1) Extract “NielsenAppApi.Framework” from the Nielsen App SDK zip file and copy it to Frameworks folder of the Xcode project.

2) Import following frameworks and libraries into the Frameworks of the Xcode project before creating an instance of the Nielsen App SDK object.

• UIKit.framework
• Foundation.framework
• AdSupport.framework
• SystemConfiguration.framework
• Security.framework
  • Nielsen Analytics framework makes use of a number of functions in this library.
• AVFoundation.framework
  • This framework is mandatory for the iOS SDK version 5.1.1 to work.
• CoreLocation.framework
• CoreMedia.framework
• NielsenAppApi.framework
• libc++.tbd (as SDK contains Objective-C++ source file)
  • Alternatively, include -lstdc++ in Build Settings → Other Linker Flag of the Xcode project
    

3) Include header file NielsenAppApi/NielsenAppApi.h to the View Controller's header file.

Note:

• The SDK uses the NSURLSession instead of the deprecated NSURLConnection.
• All communications between the SDK and the Census (Collection Facility) use HTTPS

Using Swift

To import a set of Objective-C files in the same app target as your Swift code, you rely on an Objective-C bridging header to expose those files to Swift. Xcode offers to create this header file when you add a Swift file to an existing Objective-C app, or an Objective-C file to an existing Swift app.

Select File/New File/Objective-C File
Xcode will prompt you to create a bridging header.

Once this file has been created, you need to add the following:

#import <NielsenAppApi/NielsenAppApi.h>

Using Objective-C

Add the code

#import <NielsenAppApi/NielsenAppApi.h>

to the View Controller’s header file.

Create SDK Instance

The latest version of the Nielsen App SDK allows instantiating multiple instances of the SDK object when needed, which can then be used simultaneously. For the general use case where only one video is played at the same time in the App, a single instance of SDK object can then be used to play back and measure all watched streams one after another.

The following table contains the list of arguments that can be passed via the AppInfo JSON schema.

Parameter / Argument	Description	Source	Required/Obligatory?	Example
appid	Unique id for the application assigned by Nielsen. It is GUID data type.	Nielsen-specified	YES	"PXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX"
appname	Name of the application	Client-defined	NO	"Nielsen Sample App"
appversion	Current version of the app used	Client-defined	NO	"1.0.2"
nol_devDebug	Enables Nielsen console logging. Only required for testing	Nielsen-specified	NO	"DEBUG"
hem_md5	Hashed email using md5. Used by MMS reach model.	Client-defined	Required if login feature	"61f1121944dfb76f09540c59a99b4000"

Sample SDK Initialization Code

Initialize the Nielsen App object within the viewDidLoad view controller delegate method using initWithAppInfo:delegate:

If App SDK is initialized using init or new methods, it will ignore the API calls resulting in no measurement. The SDK will not return any errors.

Using Objective-C

#import "NlsAppApiFactory.h"
#import <NielsenAppApi/NielsenAppApi.h>

@implementation NlsAppApiFactory

+ (NielsenAppApi *)createNielsenAppApiWithDelegate:(id<NielsenAppApiDelegate>)delegate;
{
    NSDictionary *appInformation = @{
                                     @"appid": "PXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
                                     @"appversion": "1.0",
                                     @"appname": "app name here",
                                     @"nol_devDebug": @"DEBUG",
                                     @"hem_md5": @"61f1121944dfb76f09540c59a99b4000"
                                    };
    return [[NielsenAppApi alloc] initWithAppInfo:appInformation delegate:delegate];
}
@end

The following would be the NlsAppApiFactory.h file:

#import <Foundation/Foundation.h>

@class NielsenAppApi;
@protocol NielsenAppApiDeligate;

@interface NlsAppApiFactory : NSObject

+ (NielsenAppAPI *) createNielsenAppApiWithDelegate:(id<NielsenAppApiDelegate>)delegate;

@end

Using Swift

NielsenInit.swift

class NielsenInit: NSObject {
    class func createNielsenAppApi(delegate: NielsenAppApiDelegate) -> NielsenAppApi?{
    let appInformation:[String: String] = [
           "appid": "PXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
            "appversion": "1.0",
            "appname": "app name here",
            "nol_devDebug": "DEBUG",
            "hem_md5": "61f1121944dfb76f09540c59a99b4000"
        ]
        return NielsenAppApi(appInfo:appInformation, delegate:delegate)
    }
}

Sample code using AVPlayer.
ViewController.swift

class ViewController: UIViewController, NielsenAppApiDelegate, AVPictureInPictureControllerDelegate, CLLocationManagerDelegate  {

    let avPlayerViewController = AVPlayerViewController()
    var avPlayer:AVPlayer?
    var nielsenAppApi: NielsenAppApi!

  override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        self.nielsenAppApi = NielsenInit.createNielsenAppApi(delegate: self)
        NSLog("Nielsen SDK initialized")

            }
  }

APP SDK Error & Event Codes

To view the Error and Event codes for iOS and Android, please review the App SDK Event Code Reference page.

Life cycle of SDK instance

Life cycle of SDK instance includes four general states:

1. Initial state – The SDK is not initialized and hence, not ready to process playing information. Once the SDK is moved out of this state, it needs instantiation of the new SDK instance in order to get the instance in the Initial state.
2. Idle state – The SDK is initialized and is ready to process playing information. Once Initialized, the SDK instance is not processing any data, but is listening for the play event to occur.
3. Processing state – The SDK instance is processing playing information. API calls "play" and "loadMetadata" move the SDK instance into this state. In this state, the SDK instance will be able to process the API calls (see below)
4. Disabled state – The SDK instance is disabled and is not processing playing information. SDK instance moves into this state in one of the following scenarios.
   1. Initialization fails
   2. appDisableApi is called

@property (assign) BOOL appDisableApi;

Create Metadata Objects

The parameters passed must be either a JSON formatted NSString or a NSDictionary object. The JSON passed in the SDK must be well-formed.

• NSDictionary object
  • If an object of unexpected type is passed to the method, the error message will be logged.
  • If string has invalid JSON format, the error message will be logged.
• JSON value must be string value.
  • This includes boolean and numeric values. For example, a value of true should be represented with "true", number value 123 should be "123".
  • All the Variable Names like appid, appname, dataSrc, title, type etc. are case-sensitive. Use the correct variable name as specified in the documentation.
• JSON string can be prepared using either raw NSString or serialized NSDictionary.
  

Create channelName Metadata

channelName should remain constant throughout the completion of an episode or live stream.

Key	Description	Values	Required
channelName	Any string representing the channel/stream	custom	✓

Create Content Metadata

Content metadata should remain constant throughout the entirety of an episode/clip including when ads play.

Please see the Metadata link for the full list of content and ad metadata.

program and title metadata values should be passed to SDK as UTF-8 strings.

Nielsen Key	MMS Attribute Name, MMS Field Name	Description	Values	Required
type		type of asset	"content"	✓
assetid	Content ID, mms_tid	unique ID assigned to an asset within the same media house.	For content on simulcast channels, this has a standard format: simulcast_channelnumber (Example for Channel TV4, the expected value is: simulcast_29). A complete list of channel reference libraries with channel numbers is on the MMS homepage For VoD, it does not need to follow the simulcast_channelnumber format. Length limit: 20 characters. No special characters	✓
length	Clip Length, ns_st_cl	length of content in seconds	Length of content in seconds. for 24/7 live stream, 86400 for event-Live streams, the planned length for VoD, video length	✓
program	Program Name, ns_st_pr	program name	custom example: leif-och-billy	✓
title	Episode Name, ns_st_ep	episode name	custom example: en-ny-tjej-i-byn	✓

Create Ad Metadata

The Ad Metadata (if applicable) should be passed for each individual ad.

Please see the Metadata link for the full list of content and ad metadata.

Note: All metadata values should be passed as UTF-8 strings.

Keys	Description	Values	Required
type	type of Ad	"preroll", "midroll", "postroll" "ad" - If specific type can not be identified.	✓
assetid	unique ID assigned to an asset within the same media house.	custom (no Special Characters)	✓

MetaData Example

Using Objective-C

NSDictionary  *channelInfo = @
{
  @"channelName":@"My Channel Name 1",
}

NSDictionary *contentMetadata = @
  {
  @"assetid" : "uniqueassetid",
  @"type" : "content",
  @"program" : "program name",
  @"title" : "episode title",
  @"length" : "2600"
}

NSDictionary *adMetadata = @
  {
  @"assetid" : "uniquepostrolladid",
  @"type" : "postroll"
}

Using Swift

     let channelInfo = [
        "channelName": "My Channel Name 1",
     ]

     let contentMetadata = [
       "assetid" : "uniqueassetid",
        "type" : "content",
        "program" : "program name",
        "title" : "episode title",
        "length" : "2600"
     ]

    let adMetadata = [
        "assetid" : "uniquepostrolladid",
        "type" : "postroll"
    ]

Start the Measurement

Overview of SDK API Calls

play

The play method prepares the SDK for reporting once an asset has loaded and playback has begun. Use play to pass the channel descriptor information through channelName parameter when the user taps the Play button on the player. Call play only when initially starting the video.

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi play:channelInfo];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.play(channelInfo);

loadMetadata

Needs to be called at the beginning of each asset, pass JSON object for relevant content or ad. Make sure to pass as 1st loadMetadata for content at the begining of playlist - see below API call sequence examples.

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi loadMetadata:metadataDict];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.loadMetadata(metadataDict)

playheadPosition

Pass playhead position every second during playback. for VOD: pass current position in seconds. for Live: current Unix timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970 UTC) - if it is possible to seek back in Live content, then pass related Unix time (not current). Pass whole number that increments only by 1 like 1,2,3..

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi playheadPosition:pos];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.playheadPosition(pos);

stop

Call when

• ads complete playing
• when a user pauses playback
• upon any user interruption scenario - see bellow chapter Interruption scenario

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi stop];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.stop;

end

Call when the content asset completes playback. Stops measurement progress.

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi end];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.end

API Call Sequence

Use Case 1: Content has no Ads

Call play() with channelName JSON as below.

{
   "channelName": "TheMovieTitle"
}

Call loadMetadata() with JSON metadata for content as below.

{
  "type": "content",
  "assetid": "vid345-67483",
  "program": "ProgramName",
  "title": "Program S3, EP1",
  "length": "3600",
  ...
}

Call playheadPosition() every one second until a pause. Use the sample API sequence below as a reference to identify the specific events that need to be called during content playback without ads.

Type	Sample code	Description
Start of stream	mAppSdk.play(channelName);	// channelName contains JSON metadata of channel/video name being played
	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
Content	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
End of Stream	mAppSdk.end();	// Content playback is completed.

Use Case 2: Content has Ads

Call play() with channelName JSON as below.

{
   "channelName": "TheMovieTitle"
}

Call loadMetadata() with JSON metadata for ad as below.

{
   "type": "preroll",
   "assetid": "ad_123",
   ...
}

Note: In case the individual ad details are not available, send ad pod (presence) details through the loadMetadata and playhead position through playheadPosition.

Call playheadPosition() every one second until a pause / another loadMetadata() is called. Playhead should be passed for the entire duration of ad pod, if the ad pod details are passed as part of loadMetadata().

The sample API sequence can be used as a reference to identify the specific events that need to be called during content and ad playback.

Type	Sample code	Description
Start of stream	mAppSdk.play(channelName);	// channelName contains JSON metadata of channel/video name being played
	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
Preroll	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(prerollMetadataObject);	// prerollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the preroll ad
	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the preroll ad is being played
	mAppSdk.stop();	// Call stop after preroll occurs
Content	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
	mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
Midroll	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(midrollMetaDataObject);	// midrollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the midroll ad
	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the midroll ad is being played
	mAppSdk.stop();	// App moves to background(midroll pauses)
	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(midrollMetaDataObject);	// App moves to foreground (midroll resumes)
	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// playheadPosition is position of the playhead while the midroll ad is being played
	mAppSdk.stop();	// Call stop after midroll occurs
Content (End of stream)	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
End of Stream	mAppSdk.end();	// Call end() at the end of content
Postroll	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(postrollMetaDataObject);	// postrollMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the postroll ad
	mAppSdk.playheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the postroll ad is being played
	mAppSdk.stop();	// Call stop after postroll occurs

Note: Each Ad playhead should reset or begin from 0 at ad start. When content has resumed following an ad break, playhead position must continue from where previous content segment was left off.

Stop/Resume the Measurement for video Playback Interruptions

As part of integrating Nielsen App SDK with the player application, the Audio / Video app developer needs to handle the following possible interruption scenarios:

• Pause / Play
• Network Loss (Wi-Fi / Airplane / Cellular)
• Call Interrupt (SIM or Third-party Skype / Hangout call)
• Alarm Interrupt
• Content Buffering
• Device Lock / Unlock (Video players only, not for Audio players)
• App going in the Background/Foreground (Video players only, not for Audio players)
• Channel / Station Change Scenario
• Unplugging of headphone

In case of encountering one of the above interruptions, the player application needs to

• Call stop immediately (except when content is buffering) and withhold sending playhead position.
• Once the playback resumes, start sending pings playheadPosition for the new viewing session.

Please see the Digital Measurement FAQ for more details

Review SDK Integration Architecture Diagram

For Content Playback

For Ad Playback

Privacy and Opt-Out

There are currently 3 flavors of the Nielsen SDK. Please check the "Implementation" section for a comparison of the three flavors. Implementing opt-out for the three flavors are different:

1. Global iOS SDK Opt-out - managed by AppTracking or Limit Ad Tracking setting on device.
2. Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Opt-out - Direct call to SDK. Can be used without the Ad Framework.
3. Global iOS SDK No ID Opt-out - Direct call to SDK. Should be used for Kids Category.

Global iOS SDK Opt-out

OS-level Opt-out method available on Nielsen iOS

The Nielsen SDK automatically leverages the iOS's Limit Ad Tracking or AppTracking setting.

• If the User's device is running < iOS 13.x, the Nielsen SDK will check the status of Limit Ad Tracking.
• iOS14 modifies the way Apple manages the collection of a User's Opt-In status through AppTracking. Starting with Version 8.x+, the Nielsen App SDK will check the iOS version during initialization. If the device is running iOS12 or iOS13, the Limit Ad Tracking setting is requested. If iOS14.x +, then AppTracking is utilized.

Webview Element

It is a requirement to display a WebView element whose loadUrl is set to the value obtained from optOutURL. If using the Global iOS SDK, this optOutURL informs the user how to deactivate/activate “App Tracking/Limit Ad Tracking”.

In addition, the following text must be included in your app store description.

"Please note: This app features Nielsen’s proprietary measurement software which contributes to market research, like Nielsen’s TV Ratings. Please see https://nielsen.com/digitalprivacy/ for more information"

Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Opt-out

The User Choice method can be used without the Ad Framework, or in situations where the publisher does not wish to use the App Tracking Transparency Framework. As this flavor of the Nielsen SDK does not use the Ad Framework, so it is necessary to display an Optout Page to the user and capture their selection.

Similar to the Global iOS SDK Flavor, it is a requirement to display a WebView element whose loadUrl is set to the value obtained from optOutURL. This is a special URL that indicates Opt-in, or Opt-out and close the WebView.

This opt-out method works as follows:

• Get the Nielsen opt-out URL via optOutURL
• Display a WebView element whose loadUrl is set to the value obtained from optOutURL
• Detect if the WebView URL changes to a special URL that indicates Opt-in, or Opt-out and close the WebView
  • Opt-out if the WebView URL = nielsenappsdk://1
  • Opt-in if the WebView URL = nielsenappsdk://0
• Pass the detected URL to the userOptOut function
  • Example:

    NielsenAppApi?.userOptOut("nielsenappsdk://1"); // User opt-out
    

Global iOS SDK No ID Opt-out

If you are building an app that will be listed in the Kids Category:

1. Ensure that you are using the NoID version of the Nielsen SDK Framework.
2. Immediately following the initialization of the Nielsen SDK ensure you call the userOptOut API with Opt out selection:

NielsenAppApi?.userOptOut("nielsenappsdk://1"); // User opt-out

Opt-out example code

Swift

import UIKit
import WebKit
import NielsenAppApi

class OptOutVC: UIViewController, NielsenAppApiDelegate, WKNavigationDelegate {
    var nielsenApi : NielsenAppApi!
    var webView: WKWebView!
   
    override func loadView() {
        webView = WKWebView()
        webView.navigationDelegate = self
        view = webView
    }

    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        if let appApi = self.nielsenApi {
            //Getting the optPut URL from SDK
            if let url = URL(string: appApi.optOutURL) {
                webView.load(URLRequest(url: url))
                webView.allowsBackForwardNavigationGestures = true
            }}}

        func closeOptOutView() {
            self.dismiss(animated: true, completion: nil)
        }
  
// Uncomment below code if you are using the Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Flavor. This will receive the user's selection
// from the custom User_Choice Optout page. Only required for the Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Flavor
/*  
        func webView(_ webView: WKWebView, decidePolicyFor navigationAction: WKNavigationAction, decisionHandler: 
@escaping (WKNavigationActionPolicy) -> Void) {
            print(navigationAction.request.url?.absoluteString as Any) //For debugging to check what is being passed from webpage.
            if navigationAction.request.url?.absoluteString == "nielsen://close" {
                closeOptOutView()
                decisionHandler(.cancel)
            } else {
                if let url = navigationAction.request.url?.absoluteString, url.hasPrefix("nielsen") {
                    nielsenApi?.userOptOut(url). //either nielsenappsdk://1 or nielsenappsdk://0
                    decisionHandler(.cancel)
                } else {
                    if navigationAction.navigationType == .linkActivated {
                        if let url = navigationAction.request.url?.absoluteString, url.hasSuffix("#") {
                            decisionHandler(.allow)
                        } else {
                            decisionHandler(.cancel)
                            webView.load(navigationAction.request)
                        }
                    } else {
                        decisionHandler(.allow)
                    }}}}
  */
}

Objective-C

#import "OptOutVC.h"
#import "NielsenInit.h"
#import <NielsenAppApi/NielsenAppApi.h>

@interface OptOutVC ()

@property (weak, nonatomic) IBOutlet UIWebView *webView;
@end

@implementation OptOutVC

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    //Getting the optPut URL from eventTracker
    [self.webView loadRequest:[NSURLRequest requestWithURL:[NSURL
 URLWithString:self.nielsenApi.optOutURL]]];
}

// Uncomment below code if you are using the Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Flavor. This will receive the user's selection
// from the custom User_Choice Optout page. Only required for the Global iOS SDK No Ad Framework Flavor
/*     
- (void)webView:(WKWebView *)webView decidePolicyForNavigationAction:(WKNavigationAction *)navigationAction
 decisionHandler:(void (^)(WKNavigationActionPolicy))decisionHandler
{
    if ([navigationAction.request.URL.absoluteString isEqualToString:kNielsenWebClose])
    {   [self performSelector:@selector(closeOptOutView) withObject:nil afterDelay:0];
        decisionHandler(WKNavigationActionPolicyCancel); 
     } else {
        if ([navigationAction.request.URL.absoluteString hasPrefix:@"nielsen"])
        {[self.nielsenAppApi userOptOut:navigationAction.request.URL.absoluteString];
            decisionHandler(WKNavigationActionPolicyCancel); 
        } else {
            if (navigationAction.navigationType == WKNavigationTypeLinkActivated) 
            { if ([navigationAction.request.URL.absoluteString hasSuffix:@"#"]) 
                      {decisionHandler(WKNavigationActionPolicyAllow);
                } else {
                    decisionHandler(WKNavigationActionPolicyCancel);
                    [webView loadRequest:[NSURLRequest requestWithURL:navigationAction.request.URL]];
                }} else {
                 decisionHandler(WKNavigationActionPolicyAllow);
            }}}
*/
}

Retrieve current Opt-Out preference

Whether the user is opted out via OS-level Opt-out or via User Choice Opt-out, the current Opt-Out status as detected by the SDK is available via the optOutStatus property in the Nielsen SDK API

@property (readonly) BOOL optOutStatus

Optional Step for AirPlay

To implement OTT measurement, report OTT changes to the SDK using public API interface: updateOTT

In order to detect AirPlay and mirroring changes we use AVAudioSessionPortDescription properties that are different on different iOS versions. We found that on iOS versions 8 - 10 AVAudioSessionPortDescription has the following values:
AirPlay: type = AirPlay; name = Apple TV 4K; UID = DC:56:E7:53:72:85-airplay
Mirroring: type = AirPlay; name = Apple TV 4K; UID = DC:56:E7:53:72:85-screen

For iOS 11+ some parameters like name and UID have different values:
AirPlay: type = AirPlay; name = AirPlay; UID = 0eb63aae-5915-45f1-b0f7-0102a0e50d53
Mirroring: type = AirPlay; name = Apple TV 4K; UID = 4335E8A9-1C0A-4251-9000-28CA5FA2F3CF-192731714653291-screen


The following code snipped is suggested for AirPlay / mirroring detection on iOS devices.

Swift

nielsenSdk.updateOTT(currentStatus)

Subscribe to AVAudioSessionRouteChangeNotification

NotificationCenter.default.addObserver(self, selector: #selector(handleRouteChanged(_:)), name: NSNotification.Name.AVAudioSessionRouteChange, object: nil)

Handle AVAudioSessionRouteChangeNotification and prepare OTT dictionary:

func handleRouteChanged(_ notification: Notification) {
var currentStatus: [String: String] = ["ottStatus": "0"]

let session = AVAudioSession.sharedInstance()
let currentRoute = session.currentRoute
for outputPort in currentRoute.outputs {
if outputPort.portType == AVAudioSessionPortAirPlay {
currentStatus["ottStatus"] = "1"
currentStatus["ottDeviceModel"] = outputPort.portName
currentStatus["ottDeviceID"] = outputPort.uid

if outputPort.portName == "AirPlay" {
currentStatus["ottDevice"] = "airplay"
currentStatus["ottType"] = "airplay"
}
else {
if outputPort.portName.contains("Apple TV") {
currentStatus["ottDevice"] = "appleTV"
}
else {
currentStatus["ottDevice"] = "other"
}

if outputPort.uid.hasSuffix("airplay") {
currentStatus["ottType"] = "airplay"
}
else if outputPort.uid.hasSuffix("screen") {
currentStatus["ottType"] = "mirroring"
}
else {
currentStatus["ottType"] = "other"
}
}
}
}

// report OTT status update to Nielsen SDK
self.reportOTTUpdate(currentStatus)
}

Report OTT update to the Nielsen SDK

func reportOTTUpdate(_ ottDict: [String: String]) {
if let nielsenSdk = self.nielsenAppApi {
nielsenSdk.updateOTT(currentStatus)
}
}

Objective C

– (void)updateOTT:(id)ottInfo;

Subscribe to AVAudioSessionRouteChangeNotification

[[NSNotificationCenter defaultCenter] addObserver:self selector:@selector(handleRouteChanged:) name:AVAudioSessionRouteChangeNotification object:nil];

Handle AVAudioSessionRouteChangeNotification and prepare OTT dictionary:

- (void)handleRouteChanged:(NSNotification *)notification
{
NSMutableDictionary *ottDict = [NSMutableDictionary dictionaryWithDictionary: @{@"ottStatus": @"0"}];

AVAudioSession *audioSession = [AVAudioSession sharedInstance];
AVAudioSessionRouteDescription *currentRoute = audioSession.currentRoute;
for (AVAudioSessionPortDescription *outputPort in currentRoute.outputs) {
if ([outputPort.portType isEqualToString:AVAudioSessionPortAirPlay]) {
ottDict[@"ottStatus"] = @"1";
ottDict[@"ottDeviceModel"] = outputPort.portName;
ottDict[@"ottDeviceID"] = outputPort.UID;

if ([outputPort.portName isEqualToString:@"AirPlay"]) {
ottDict[@"ottDevice"] = @"airplay";
ottDict[@"ottType"] = @"airplay";
}
else {
if ([outputPort.portName containsString:@"Apple TV"]) {
ottDict[@"ottDevice"] = @"appleTV";
}
else {
ottDict[@"ottDevice"] = @"other";
}

if ([outputPort.UID hasSuffix:@"airplay"]) {
ottDict[@"ottType"] = @"airplay";
}
else if ([outputPort.UID hasSuffix:@"screen"]) {
ottDict[@"ottType"] = @"mirroring";
}
else {
ottDict[@"ottType"] = @"other";
}
}
}
}

// report OTT status update to Nielsen SDK
[self reportOTTWithDict:ottDict];
}

Report OTT update to the Nielsen SDK

- (void)reportOTTWithDict:(NSDictionary *)ottDict
{
[self.nielsenSDK updateOTT:ottDict];
}

Test your player by yourself

Guide

1. Connect your PC and test device (tablet or phone) via same router.
2. PC side: run Proxy sw (like Charles) and get local IP
3. Test device: modify Wifi setting to pass through Proxy IP from step 2.
4. Test device: run your player, launch video
5. PC side: filter traffic by "imr" and confirm presence of GN pings

Example of GN ping

https://secure-sw.imrworldwide.com/cgi-bin/gn?prd=dcr&ci=se-910685&ch=se-910685_c01_P&asn=defChnAsset&fp_id=a2nfmy17lyvkhlxqstvmgypqly90m1629966210&fp_cr_tm=1629966210&fp_acc_tm=1629966210&fp_emm_tm=1629966210&ve_id=20A7CFD5-9860-4256-A6CE-45C251F4C243&sessionId=yvx0rtsxydmaxueji8zgfzj0f2f1w1629966209&tl=&prv=1&c6=vc,c01&ca=se-910685_c01_51HERB1501&cg=Play%20%3E%20Webbtv%20%3E%20Nyheter&c13=asid,P3D8D326A-2DBC-486A-8FD8-9AF4452B2A41&c32=segA,NA&c33=segB,NA&c34=segC,NA&c15=apn,Aftonbladet&plugv=&playerv=&sup=1&segment2=&segment1=&forward=0&ad=1&cr=4_00_99_D1_00000&c9=devid,12b9377cbe7e5c94e8a70d9d23929523d14afa954793130f8a3959c7b849aca8&enc=true&c1=nuid,12b9377cbe7e5c94e8a70d9d23929523d14afa954793130f8a3959c7b849aca8&at=timer&rt=video&c16=sdkv,ai.8.1.0&c27=cln,15&crs=&lat=&lon=&c29=plid,16299662096458868&c30=bldv,ai.8.1.0.0_gsxaoni&st=dcr&c7=osgrp,&c8=devgrp,&c10=plt,&c40=adbid,&c14=osver,iOS14.6&c26=dmap,1&dd=&hrd=&wkd=&c35=adrsid,&c36=cref1,&c37=cref2,&c11=agg,1&c12=apv,5.47.83.0.25245&c51=adl,15&c52=noad,1&sd=15&pc=NA&c53=fef,n&c54=oad,&c55=cref3,&c57=adldf,2&ai=51HERB1501&c3=st,a&c64=starttm,1629966240&adid=51HERB1501&c58=isLive,false&c59=sesid,iqal6k21r0de8gm901kif5xznar7q1629966240&c61=createtm,1629966255&c63=pipMode,&ci_userid=&is_auto_play=&pl_title=&is_prem=&is_prog=&ad_origin=&adidx=1%2F1&is_tpad=&ci_passthr=&c62=sendTime,1629966255&c68=bndlid,se.aftonbladet.Aftonbladet&c69=cvw,&nodeTM=&logTM=&c73=phtype,&c74=dvcnm,&c76=adbsnid,&uoo=&c44=progen,&davty=1&si=&c66=mediaurl,&sdd=retry,0~~retryreason,~~devmodel,iPhone9%2C4~~devtypid,iPhone9%2C4~~sysname,iOS~~sysversion,14.6~~manuf,Apple&cat_id=a6f7fb13-8801-484c-9692-6db6dfb470aa&vtoff=0&rnd=1629966255319

Provide your app for certification

Once ready please send your application to Nielsen local staff for certification.

Going Live

Following Nielsen testing, you will need to:

1. Disable Debug Logging: Disable logging by deleting {nol_devDebug: 'DEBUG'} from initialization call.
2. Notify Nielsen: Once you are ready to go live, let us know so we can enable you for reporting. We will not be able to collect or report data prior to receiving notification from you.