DCR Video iOS SDK

Engineering Portal / Digital / US DCR & DTVR / DCR Video iOS SDK

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.	Provided by Nielsen
Nielsen SDK	Includes SDK frameworks and sample implementation; See iOS SDK Release Notes	Download

If need App ID(s) or our SDKs, feel free to reach out to us and we will be happy to help you get started. Refer to Digital Measurement Onboarding guide for information on how to get a Nielsen App SDK and appid.

Implementation

Version 8 of the Nielsen App SDK will come 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 noID is required.

SDK Flavor	Description
iOS Ad Version	* Opt-In and Opt-Out functionality managed by the AppTrackingTransparency framework . (Preferred approach) * 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 IDFV. * The ID for Vendors (IDFV), may be used for analytics across apps from the same content provider. * The developer is required to present the User Choice Opt Out page which is described in the Privacy Section.
iOS SDK noID	* This version of the Nielsen SDK is perfect for Kid apps, or where no ID is required. * Please review the Opt Out Requirement.

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.

• iOS Package Dependency Guides (CocoaPods, Carthage, Swift Package Manager)
• Select to Download Directly
• Using the XCFramework bundle

Setting up your Development Environment

Prior to SDK Version 6.2.0.0 the IOS framework has been distributed as a static library packaged into framework bundle format. Apple recommends to use dynamic framework, it has some benefits over static libraries like less executable file size of an app, faster startup time and native support in xCode IDE. Nielsen AppSDK has been transformed into dynamic framework in this release (static framework is still available).

If migrating from the static library to this new dynamic framework, once implemented, unless your specific application requires, you can remove the following Frameworks that were once required: [AdSupport, JavascriptCore, SystemConfiguration, Security, AVFoundation, libc++]

The Dynamic framework is created as a fat framework. It means that it contains slices required for devices (armv7, arm64) as well as slices required for simulators (i386, x86_64). Simulator slices are needed to let clients build and debug their app on the simulators, but they should be removed before sending the app to the AppStore. The example of the shell script that should be added as a Run Script phase in the application can be found below.

XCFramework is solution for the problems described above Apple recommends to use XCFrameworks. In XCFramework, we no longer build a single framework with multiple architectures. Instead, we build one small framework for each combination of architecture and target and store it in its own folder. The top-level XCFramework folder have folders like ios-arm64, ios-arm64-simulator, etc. Each of these folders is its own framework, complete with headers, modules, and binary.

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, when using the dynamic framework, all the required frameworks are linked automatically as the are needed. More details can be found here: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/24902787/dont-we-need-to-link-framework-to-xcode-project-anymore

Note: All communications between the SDK and the Census (Collection Facility) use HTTPS.

Special Note for Static Framework

Starting from 8.2.0.0 release framework is build from the mixed (swift + objc) source codse. If static (xc)framework is integrated additional settings should be applied to fix build or runtime issues.

Download Framework

The first step is to download and copy the NielsenAppApi.framework bundle to the app project directory. (Not required if using CocaPods)

Add Framework

In the General tab for app configuration add NielsenAppApi.framework in the list of Embedded Binaries. (Not required if using CocaPods)

Add Path

Add path to the NielsenAppApi.framework in the Framework Search Paths build setting. (Not required if using CocaPods)

Import Framework

Add NielsenAppApi.framework module in the source file of your app:

Using Swift

Add the following:

import NielsenAppApi

Using Objective-C

@import NielsenAppApi;

xCode 12 building errors

Developers who uses "fat" framework in their apps started reporting the following error that they get building the app in xCode 12.3+:

Building for iOS Simulator, but the linked and embedded framework 'MyFramework.framework' was built for iOS + iOS Simulator.

The binary framework contains different code for the same architecture in multiple places, and Xcode doesn’t know how to handle it. There is workaround that people recommend to use in such cases:

• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/63267897/building-for-ios-simulator-but-the-linked-framework-framework-was-built
• https://stackoverflow.com/questions/63932158/xcode12-issus-ld-building-for-ios-simulator-but-linking-in-object-file-built

IPA processing failure

Assertion failed: Expected 4 archs in otool output:

The error above is due to the "fat" (simulator+device) framework which will not appear if you have not enabled Bitcode. To build your app with full Bitcode support, it is recommended that you use a XCFramework to avoid the 4 archs in otool output message.

SDK Initialization

The latest version of the Nielsen App SDK allows instantiating multiple instances of the SDK object, which can be used simultaneously without any issue. The sharedInstance API that creates a singleton object was deprecated prior to version 5.1.1. (Click here for an example of multiple instances)

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

Parameter / Argument	Description	Source	Required?	Example
appid	Unique Nielsen ID for the application. The ID is a GUID data type. If you did not receive your App ID, let us know and we will provide you.	Nielsen-specified	Yes	PXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX
nol_devDebug	Enables Nielsen console logging. Only required for testing	Nielsen-specified	Optional	DEBUG

Debug flag for development environment

Player application developers / integrators can use Debug flag to check whether an App SDK API call made is successful. To activate the Debug flag, Pass the argument @"nol_devDebug":@"INFO", in the JSON string . The permitted values are:

• INFO: Displays the API calls and the input data from the application (validate player name, app ID, etc.). It can be used as certification Aid.
• WARN: Indicates potential integration / configuration errors or SDK issues.
• ERROR: Indicates important integration errors or non-recoverable SDK issues.
• DEBUG: Debug logs, used by the developers to debug more complex issues.

Once the flag is active, it logs each API call made and the data passed. The log created by this flag is minimal.

Note: DO NOT activate the Debug flag in a production environment.

Swift Example

Sample SDK Initialization Code

NielsenInit.swift

class NielsenInit: NSObject {
    class func createNielsenAppApi(delegate: NielsenAppApiDelegate) -> NielsenAppApi?{
    let appInformation:[String: String] = [
           "appid": "PE392366B-F2C1-4BC4-AB62-A7DAFDCXXXX",
           "nol_devDebug": "DEBUG"
        ]
        return NielsenAppApi(appInfo:appInformation, delegate:delegate)}}

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")
}}

Objective C

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.

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

@implementation NlsAppApiFactory
+ (NielsenAppApi *)createNielsenAppApiWithDelegate:(id<NielsenAppApiDelegate>)delegate;
{
    NSDictionary *appInformation = @{
                                     @"appid": "PE392366B-F2C1-4BC4-AB62-A7DAFDC51XXX",
                                     @"nol_devDebug": @"DEBUG"
                                     };
    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
}}

The following might be in the Viewcontroller.m

@implementation ViewController

- (void)viewDidLoad {
    [super viewDidLoad];
    
    //Setting background image
    UIImage *backgroundImage = [UIImage imageNamed:@"new_ios_bg.png"];
    UIImageView *backgroundImageView=[[UIImageView alloc]initWithFrame:self.view.frame];
    backgroundImageView.image=backgroundImage;
    [self.view insertSubview:backgroundImageView atIndex:0];
    
    //Mark: In NielsenInit class we are initialising the Nielsen SDK.
    
    //Getting the instance of Nielsen SDK
    nielsenApi = [NielsenInit createNielsenAppApiWithDelegate:nil];
}

Initializing Viewability and Audibility Measurement

If your Nielsen integration will be enabled for viewability/audibility measurement, your app should call trackViewability after initializing the SDK (previous paragraphs).

Viewability metrics allow AppSDK to track the visibility of the player and collect information about how much of the player container is visible to the end user during playback. Audibility metrics report on the device volume level.

The viewability pings will be fired following the same rules as measurement pings. Viewability pings will be POST requests, not GET requests like other data pings. POST body for viewability requests will contain the key-value pairs in JSON format. The key parameters in the URL schemes are invs, inau, inss, invp and ines which will contain the collected viewability data. This data will be formatted according to the specific rules so that downstream it will be possible to match measurement and viewability data for a session.

Audibility metrics will capture the volume level as well as mute/unmute state of the device during playback.

Calling trackViewability for player view

Input Parameters

Parameter

Description

data

NSDictionary object with the following objects and keys: viewTag (mandatory) value of NSNumber type, unique identifier (tag) for the target view object. This tag can be assigned for the player view either programmatically or in the storyboard/xib. viewContainer (mandatory) pointer to the parent view object. It is needed to identify the concrete scene in the applications which support multiple scenes. This parameter can not be nil. friendlyObstructions (nullable) an array of tags of the views which should be ignored during the intersection ratio calculation. Those are views like loading activity indicator, player controls, view with a watermark, etc. which are displayed in front of the target view, but should not reduce the viewability intersection ratio. The tags of such should be wrapped into the NSNumber objects before adding into the array. This parameter is nullable, empty array is also accepted.

Objective C

NSString *targetViewTag = targetView.tag;
NSString *controlsViewTag = controlsViewTag.tag;
NSString *activityIndicatorViewTag = activityIndicatorView.tag;
NSDictionary *viewabilityData = @{@"viewTag": targetViewTag,
                                  @"viewContainer": targetView.window,
                                  @"friendlyObstructions": @[controlsViewTag, activityIndicatorViewTag]};
[sdkInstance trackViewability:viewabilityData];

Swift

let targetViewTag = targetView.tag
let controlsViewTag = controlsViewTag.tag
let activityIndicatorViewTag = activityIndicatorView.tag
let viewabilityData: [String:Any] = ["viewTag": "\(targetViewTag)",
                                     "viewContainer": targetView.window!,
                                     "friendlyObstructions": ["\(controlsViewTag)", "\(activityIndicatorViewTag)"]]
sdkInstance.trackViewability(viewabilityData)

Data Collected

Parameter	Description
Measured Value	Value is different for different request parameters: invs Intersection ratio for the target view in percent (from 0 to 100). Default threshold for this value is 5. Example: [50,1,1528457356,10] inau Volume level on the device in percent (from 0 to 100), where 0 - mute, 100 - max volume level. Default threshold for this value is 1. Example: [30,1,1528457356,10] inss Device screen size as "WxH", where W - is width in pixels, H - is height in pixels. Example: ["1024x768",1,1528457356,10] invp Current window size. This is different than the device screen size in a multiple scene mode or on a desktop. Format is "WxH", where W - is width in pixels, H - is height in pixels. Example: ["800x600",1,1528457356,10] ines Player view size as "WxH", where W - is width in pixels, H - is height in pixels. Example: ["300x200",1,1528457356,10]
Start offset	Value contains the first playhead or the first id3 offset with non-null CID after start, flush or resume. Example playhead: [50,1,1528457356,10]. Example id3 offset: [50,70100,1528457356,10]
Start timestamp	Timestamp value when the time period related to this time series item was started. Example: [50,1,1528457356,10]
Duration	Duration value is calculated as a difference between the last playhead and the first playhead for the current time series item. Example: [50,1,1528457356,10]

Configure Metadata

All the SDK methods handles only two types of objects: NSString, NSDictionary. The parameters passed must be either a JSON formatted string 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 Nielsen Key names (e.g. appid, program) 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.

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

Keys	Description	Values	Required	Provider
type	Type of asset	For Video use: content For Static or text static	Yes	Nielsen
assetid	Unique ID assigned to asset Note: Refrain from using the following special characters (Special Characters).	Examples: BBT345a234 CBSs5e234F2021	Yes	Client
program	Complete program or movie title (no abbreviations or shorthand) Note: there is a 25 character limit.	The Big Bang Theory TheBigBangTheory The Dark Knight TheDarkKnight	Yes	Client
title	Episode title with season and episode number (40 character limit) (Formats accepted: S01E03, S1E3, S1 E3).	Examples: The Pants Alternative S03E18 The Pants Alternative S3E18 The Pants Alternative S3 E18 Can also accept: S3E18 Not Valid: 318 or 0318	Yes	Client
crossId1	Gracenote TMS ID (If available) should be passed for all telecasted content for clients using the Gracenote solution for proper matching purposes. Note: The TMS ID will be a 14 character string. Normally leading with 2 alpha characters ('EP', 'MV', 'SH' or 'SP'), followed by 12 numbers.	The TMS ID will be a 14 character string. Normally being with 'EV,' 'EP', 'SH', 'SP', or 'MV' Followed by 12 numbers after the initial two letter prefix. The Giant Morning Show: SH009311820022 The Pants Alternative Episode : EP009311820061	Optional	Nielsen
crossId2	Populated by content distributor to contribute viewing from that distributor to the given content originator.	Custom For a full list of acceptable values, please contact your Nielsen reprentative.	Yes, for distributors	Nielsen
length	Length of content in seconds Note: Integers and decimal values are acceptable for the length parameter.	Examples: For standard VOD content - 300 to represent 5 minutes, 1320 to represent 22 minutes, etc. If DAI live stream of a discrete program (Live Event/Sporting Event), pass length of content. See example for standard VOD content above. If unknown DAI live steam, pass a value of 0.	Yes	Client
airdate	Original broadcast or release date for the program For USA, date should be EST Outside USA, date should be local time. If not applicable or available, original broadcast or release date for the Program.	Acceptable Formats: YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS YYYY-MM-DDHH:MI:SS YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS+xx:xx YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MI:SS-xx:xx YYYYMMDDHH:MI:SS YYYYMMDD HH:MI:SS MM-DD-YYYY MM/DD/YYYY YYYYMMDD	Yes	Client
isfullepisode	Full episode flag to identify differences between long form content.	y- full episode, n- non full episode(clip,teaser,promo,etc.) Also accept: lf or yes- longform sf or no- shortform	Yes	Nielsen
adloadtype	Type of ad load: 1 Linear – matches TV ad load 2 Dynamic – Dynamic Ad Insertion (DAI)	2 - DCR measures content with dynamic ads	Yes	Nielsen
segB	One of two custom segment for the clients granular reporting within a brand.	Examples: Genre - horror, comedy, etc. Timeslot - primetime, daytime, etc. News type - breakingnews, weather, etc.	Optional	Client
segC	One of two custom segment for the clients granular reporting within a brand.	Examples: Genre - horror, comedy, etc. Timeslot - primetime, daytime, etc. News type - breakingnews, weather, etc.	Optional	Client

Custom segments (segB and segC) can be used to aggregate video and/or static content within a single Brand to receive more granular reports within a brand.

Examples regarding usage of segments within SDK:

• All comedy clips and stories for a Brand rolled into a "Comedy" segment
• genre grouping content by Comedy vs. Drama
• group related Text + Video content - i.e. for a show that has a lot of - static pages associated with it
• packaging based on how clients sell inventory
• grouping related types of content either by genre, category or platform.

Metadata Example

Swift

let contentMetadata = [
    "type": "content",
    "assetid": "C77664",
    "program": "The Big Bang Theory",
    "title": "The Pants Alternative S03E18",  //Formats accepted: S01E03, S1E3, S1 E3
    "crossId1": "EP009311820061", //optional
    "crossId2": "Content Originator", //optional
    "length": "3600",
    "airdate": "2022-03-21T10:05:00", 
    "isfullepisode": "Yes",
    "adloadtype": "2",
    "segB": "CustomSegmentValueB", //optional
    "segC": "CustomSegmentValueC" //optional

];

Objective-C

 
NSDictionary * contentMetadata = @ {
    @ "type": @ "content",
    @ "assetid": @ "C77664",
    @ "program": @ "The Big Bang Theory",
    @ "title": @ "The Pants Alternative S03E18", //Formats accepted: S01E03, S1E3, S1 E3
    @ "crossId1": @ "EP009311820061", //optional
    @ "crossId2": @ "Content Originator", //optional
    @ "length": @ "3600",
    @ "airdate": @ "2022-03-21T10:05:00",
    @ "isfullepisode": @ "y",  
    @ "adloadtype": @ "2",
    @ "segB": @ "CustomSegmentValueB", //optional
    @ "segC": @ "CustomSegmentValueC" //optional

}

Ad Metadata

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

Keys	Description	Values	Required
type	type of Ad	'preroll', 'midroll', 'postroll' 'ad' - If specific type can not be identified.	✓
assetid	unique ID assigned to Ad	custom (no Special Characters)	✓

Example Ad Object

// create Ad object
"ad": {
  "type": "preroll",
  "assetid": "AD-ID123"
}

Configure Static Metadata if Applicable

The below is to measure Static Content.

The Nielsen reserved keys are:

Key	Description	Data Type	Value	Required?
type	asset type	fixed	'static'	Yes
section	section of each site (e.g. section value should be first level in page URL: website.com/section). Limit to 25 unique values	dynamic	custom (no Special Characters)	Yes
segA	custom segment for reporting: Limit to 25 unique values across custom segments (segA + segB + segC)	dynamic	custom	No
segB	custom segment for reporting: Limit to 25 unique values across custom segments (segA + segB + segC)	dynamic	custom	No
segC	custom segment for reporting: Limit to 25 unique values across custom segments (segA + segB + segC)	dynamic	custom	No

The values passed through the Nielsen keys will determine the breakouts that are seen in reporting. The custom segments (A, B & C) will roll into the sub-brand. To not use custom segments A, B and C, do not pass any value in these keys.

Aggregation Limits There are limits on the number of unique values that can be aggregated on in reporting. The specific limitations by key are:

Key	Aggregation Limit
section	maximum of 25 unique values (section <= 25)
segA	Maximum number of unique values allowed across segA, segB, and segC is 25 (segA + segB + segC<= 25)
segB	Maximum number of unique values allowed across segA, segB, and segC is 25 (segA + segB + segC<= 25)
segC	Maximum number of unique values allowed across segA, segB, and segC is 25 (segA + segB + segC<= 25)

Example Static Object

        let staticData =
            [
                "type": "static",
                "section": "Section Name",
                "segA": "segmentA",
                "segB": "segmentB",
                "segC": "en-us"
        ]

Life cycle of SDK instance

The 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;

APP SDK Error & Event Codes

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

Configure API Calls

Sample API Sequence

A Sample API sequence could follow this flow:

Type	Sample code	Description
On App Start	NielsenInit.createMainBrandApi(delegate: self) self.data = loadStaticMetadata() self.nielsenMeter .loadMetadata(self.data)	// Pass Static Metadata here if applicable
Start of stream	nielsenMeter.play()	// Call at start of each new stream
	nielsenMeter.loadMetadata(contentMetadata)	// MetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
Content	nielsenMeter.playheadPosition(pos);	// playheadPosition is position of the playhead while the content is being played
End of Stream	nielsenMeter.end()	// Content playback is completed.

SDK Events

Event	Parameter	Description
'play'		Call at start of each new stream
'loadMetadata'	content/ad metadata object	Needs to be called at the beginning of each asset
'playheadPosition'	playhead position as integer VOD: current position in seconds Live: current UNIX timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970 UTC) Note: 'PlayheadPosition' has to be called every second	Pass playhead position every second during playback
'stop'	playhead position	Call during any interruption to content or Ad playback and at the end of each Ad.
'end'	playhead position in seconds	Call when the current video asset completes playback and pass the playhead position. Example: At the end of the content stream, if the user switches to another piece of content, when the browser is refreshed or closed.

Note: For livestream, send the UNIX timestamp, for VOD send the time in seconds as integer. The final playhead position must be sent for the current asset being played before calling stop, end or loadmetadata,.

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 Idle 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 an event to occur.
3. Processing state – The SDK instance is processing playing information. The play and loadMetadata calls move the SDK instance into this state. In this state, the SDK instance will be able to process the following calls.
   1. playheadPosition – Call this API every one second when playhead position is active. If a LIVE event, use the current UNIX timestamp (seconds since Jan-1-1970 UTC).
   2. stop – Call this API when the content or Ad playback is interrupted and at the end of each Ad.
   3. end – Call when content completes. When called, the SDK instance exits from Processing state.
4. Disabled state – The SDK instance is disabled and is not processing playing information.
   1. appDisableApi is set to true

Note: For API Version 5.1 and above, App SDK will fire data pings and continue measurement even after the user has opted out from Nielsen measurement on a device. The data ping will be marked as opted-out ping.

Note: In case of any interruptions during playback due to alarm, calendar, call, flight mode, Wi-Fi toggle, channel change, etc., call stop to stop the measurement.

• As soon as the playback resumes, call loadMetadata and playheadPosition

API Call Sequence

Use Case 1: Content has no Advertisements

Call play() at start of stream

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

{
  "type": "content",
  "assetid": "vid345-67483",
  "program": "The Big Bang Theory",
  "title": "The Pants Alternative S03E18",
  "airdate": "2022-03-21T10:05:00", 
  "isfullepisode": "Yes",
  "adloadtype": "2",
  "length": "3600",
  ...
}

Call playheadPosition() every one second until a pause / stop. 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();	// Call at start of each new stream
	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// contentMetadataObject contains the JSON metadata for the content being played
Content	mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// position is position of the playhead while the content is being played
Interruption	mAppSdk.stop();	// call stop when content playback is interrupted
Resume Content	mAppSdk.loadMetadata(contentMetaDataObject);	// Call loadMetadata and pass content metadata object when content resumes
	mAppSdk.setPlayheadPosition(playheadPosition);	// continue pasing playhead position every second starting from position where content is resumed
End of Stream	mAppSdk.end();	// Content playback is completed.

Use Case 2: Content has Advertisements

Call play() at start of stream

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

{
   "type": "preroll",
   "assetid": "ad123"
}

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 / stop / 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();	// stream starts
	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.playheadPosition(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();	// Call stop after midroll occurs
Content Resumes	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 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.

Sequence of Calls

play

Call play at the start of each new stream. If changing videos or watching a new video, call play() each time.

Objective C

   [nielsenAppApi play:()];

Swift

nielsenAppApi?.play();

loadMetadata

Objective C

[nielsenApi loadMetadata:(contentMetadata)];

Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.loadMetadata(contentMetadata)

playheadPosition

Objective C

-(void) setPlayHeadPosition {
    
    //Setting play head position
    CMTime timeInterval = CMTimeMakeWithSeconds(1, 1);
    [player addPeriodicTimeObserverForInterval:(timeInterval) queue:dispatch_get_main_queue() usingBlock:^(CMTime time){
        NSTimeInterval seconds = CMTimeGetSeconds(time);
        NSInteger intSec = seconds;
        
        //Sending data dictionary to SDK with updated playHead position.
        [nielsenApi playheadPosition:(intSec)];
    }];
}

Swift

        //Monitor the Playhead position of the AVPlayer
        let timeInterval: CMTime = CMTimeMakeWithSeconds(1.0,10)
        self.avPlayerViewController.player?.addPeriodicTimeObserver(forInterval: timeInterval, queue: DispatchQueue.main) {(elapsedTime: CMTime) -> Void in
            if self.avPlayerViewController.player!.currentItem?.status == .readyToPlay {
                let time : Float64 = self.avPlayerViewController.player!.currentTime().seconds;
                let pos = Int64(time);
                NSLog("New Elapse Time = \(time)");
                self.nielsenAppApi?.playheadPosition(pos);
            }
        }
    }

stop

Objective C

[nielsenApi stop];

Swift

nielsenApi.stop()

end

When content stop is initiated and content cannot be resumed from the same position (it can only be restarted from the beginning of stream).

Objective C

[nielsenApi end];

Swift

nielsenApi.end()

Handling Foreground and Background states

For iOS, background/foreground detection is handled by the app lifecylce APIs which are provided by Apple:

Foreground/Background state measurement is a requirement of Nielsen AppSDK implementation which is especially crucial for static measurement.

Interruptions during playback

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
• App going in the Background/Foreground
• 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.
• Start sending API calls – 'loadMetadata' and 'playheadPosition' for the new viewing session, once the playback resumes.

Please see the Interruption Scenarios Page for more details

Using the NielsenAppSDKJSHandler

There could be a scenario in which a browser page, that is already tagged with the Nielsen BSDK, needs to be loaded via a webview. In this situation it is recommended to use the NielsenAppSDKJSHandler which will allow communication between the AppSDK and the BSDK.

This feature is supported in versions 7.2 and above.

Implementation

• Make sure you have the latest NielsenAppApi.framework from Nielsen containing the NielsenAppSDKJSHandler class.
• Add NielsenAppSDKJSHandler instance as web view message handler object conforming to WKScriptMessageHandler protocol with name: "NielsenSDKMsg".

Objective-C:

self.jsAppSDK = [[NielsenAppSDKJSHandler alloc] init];
[self.webView.configuration.userContentController addScriptMessageHandler:self.jsAppSDK name:@"NielsenSDKMsg"];

Swift:

self.jsAppSDK=NielsenAppSDKJSHandler(apiType: "ggPM")
if let jsAppSDK = self.jsAppSDK{
   self.webView?.configuration.userContentController.add(jsAppSDK, name: "NielsenSDKMsg")

This will enable listening to BSDK api calls within the APPSDK. Please make sure your Technical Account Manager is aware that you wish to implement this method so a configuration file can be modified on the Nielsen servers; however, there are no changes required to the Browser page.

Example:

The below is an example of opening a webview with the NielsenApp[SDKJSHandler using Swift 5.0

  let jsFunctionNativeMessage = "NielsenSDKMsg"
  var jsAppSDK: NielsenAppSDKJSHandler?
    
    override func loadView() {
        webView = WKWebView()
        webView.navigationDelegate = self
        view = webView
    }
    
    override func viewDidLoad() {
        super.viewDidLoad()

        let url = URL(string: "https://nielsen.com/index.htm")!
        self.jsAppSDK=NielsenAppSDKJSHandler(apiType: "ggPM")
        if let jsAppSDK = self.jsAppSDK{
            self.webView?.configuration.userContentController.add(jsAppSDK, name: "NielsenSDKMsg")
            webView.load(URLRequest(url: url))
            webView.allowsBackForwardNavigationGestures = true
        }
}
    deinit {
        if let webView = self.webView {
            webView.configuration.userContentController.removeScriptMessageHandler(forName: jsFunctionNativeMessage)
        }
        self.jsAppSDK = nil
        if let webView = self.webView {
            webView.removeFromSuperview()
        }
        self.webView = nil
    }
}

Please note: The page you load into the webview cannot have mixed protocol content. For example, if your page is https:// you cannot have any images on the page as http:// or you will encounter errors.

Pre-Certification Checklists

After the application is ready to be sent for Nielsen Certification, please go through the Digital Pre-Certification Checklist App SDK and ensure the app behaves as expected, before submitting to Nielsen.

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”.

If you are implementing on AppleTV here are your Opt Out verbiage options : https://engineeringportal.nielsen.com/docs/DCR_Video_%26_Static_CTV_Device_SDK_Privacy

Sample Code for Global Build

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)
        }}

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]]];
}}

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. The steps are 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
    

Sample code for No Ad Framework Build

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)
        }

        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]]];
}
     
- (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);
            }}}
}

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

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

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];
}

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.

Removing Simulators (Dynamic Framework Only)

Simulator slices are needed to let clients build and debug their app on the simulators, but they should be removed before sending the app to the AppStore. Here is an example Shell script that could be added as a Run Script phase in the application.

APP_PATH="${TARGET_BUILD_DIR}/${WRAPPER_NAME}"

# This script loops through the frameworks embedded in the application and
# removes unused architectures.
find "$APP_PATH" -name '*.framework' -type d | while read -r FRAMEWORK
do
FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_NAME=$(defaults read "$FRAMEWORK/Info.plist" CFBundleExecutable)
FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH="$FRAMEWORK/$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_NAME"
echo "Executable is $FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH"

EXTRACTED_ARCHS=()

for ARCH in $ARCHS
do
echo "Extracting $ARCH from $FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_NAME"
lipo -extract "$ARCH" "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH" -o "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH-$ARCH"
EXTRACTED_ARCHS+=("$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH-$ARCH")
done

echo "Merging extracted architectures: ${ARCHS}"
lipo -o "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH-merged" -create "${EXTRACTED_ARCHS[@]}"
rm "${EXTRACTED_ARCHS[@]}"

echo "Replacing original executable with thinned version"
rm "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH"
mv "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH-merged" "$FRAMEWORK_EXECUTABLE_PATH"

done

Sample Applications

The below sample applications have been designed to show the Simplified API's functionality and are broken into two distinct categories:

• Basic - To show the functionality of the Nielsen Simplified API using a standard no-frills player.
  • Swift 5.0 Sample
  • Objective-C Sample
  • Android Studio Example

• Advanced - Nielsen Simplified API integrated into a custom video player.
  • Swift 5.0 Sample
  • Objective-C Sample
  • Java/Android Studio Sample