Template:DCR Content Metadata

Engineering Portal Digital Mediametrie Implementation Documentation DCR France Video iOS SDK

Overview

The Nielsen SDK is one of 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 Médiamétrie
☑	Nielsen SDK	The Nielsen Digital AppSDK which includes SDK frameworks and sample implementation; "See iOS SDK Release Notes"	Download

• Ad flavour of AppSDK:

  The Ad flavour of AppSDK should be downloaded for the french market!

Step 1: 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.

Step 2: 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	Example
appid	Unique id for the application assigned by Nielsen. It is GUID data type.	Nielsen-specified	✓	"PXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX"
appname	Name of the application	value is automatically populated through App Name included in the App Resource File		"Nielsen Sample App"
appversion	Current version of the app used	value is automatically populated through App Version included in the App Resource File		"1.0.2"
hem_sha1	hashed (SHA256) value of member id	Nielsen-specified		i.e. for the sample memberID "userMemberID123", the value to pass is "7ed2155ee9964d69ca425b0aceccda25d5462e06228a40d0da4dce5a4eb3e826"
uid2	hashed(SHA256) value of UID2	Nielsen-specified		i.e. for the sample UID2 "userUID2", the value to pass is "7b733f363eb756046bf72bf476d24611e931e763222a7e89537477261f7bae05"
hem_sha256	hashed(SHA256) value of the user email address	Nielsen-specified		i.e. for the sample email address "useremail@company.com", the value to pass is "0da83f9ab3bf59e3638f96d83409878fb507d3edd4d3637ca5eae4ddda5bb969"
enableFpid	Optional:turn on or off the First Party ID	Nielsen-specified		"true" for turn on, "false" for turn off. The default value is "true".
nol_devDebug	Enables Nielsen console logging. Only required for testing	Nielsen-specified		"DEBUG"

If the User consent changes while using the App, you have to delete the current SDK instance and create a new instance with the updated optout and enableFpid values.

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",
                                     @"hem_sha1": @"7ed2155ee9964d69ca425b0aceccda25d5462e06228a40d0da4dce5a4eb3e826",
            @"uid2": @"7b733f363eb756046bf72bf476d24611e931e763222a7e89537477261f7bae05",
            @"hem_sha256": @"0da83f9ab3bf59e3638f96d83409878fb507d3edd4d3637ca5eae4ddda5bb969",
           @"enableFpid": @"true",
                                     @"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

Using Swift

NielsenInit.swift

class NielsenInit: NSObject {
    class func createNielsenAppApi(delegate: NielsenAppApiDelegate) -> NielsenAppApi?{
    let appInformation:[String: String] = [
           "appid": "PXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX",
           "hem_sha1": "7ed2155ee9964d69ca425b0aceccda25d5462e06228a40d0da4dce5a4eb3e826",
           "uid2": "7b733f363eb756046bf72bf476d24611e931e763222a7e89537477261f7bae05",
           "hem_sha256": "0da83f9ab3bf59e3638f96d83409878fb507d3edd4d3637ca5eae4ddda5bb969",
           "enableFpid": "true",
           "nol_devDebug": "DEBUG"
        ]
        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;

Step 3: 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.

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

Please see the Mediametrie Content Metadata for the complete list of content metadata.

MetaData Example

Using Objective-C

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

NSDictionary *contentMetadata = @
  {
  @"assetid" : @"unique_content_id",
  @"type" : @"content",
  @"program" : @"program name",
  @"title" : @"episode title",
  @"length" : @"length in seconds",
  @"islivestn" : @"y",
  @"subbrand" : @"c05",
  @"cli_md" : @"LIVE",
  @"cli_ch" : @"860",
  @"cli_cn" : @"customCuntentIdentifier",
  @"nol_p0" : @"p0,optionalValueP0",
  @"nol_p1" : @"p1,optionalValueP1",
  // ...
  @"nol_p18" : @"p18,optionalValueP18",
  @"nol_p19" : @"p19,optionalValueP19"
}

Using Swift

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

     let contentMetadata = [
       "assetid" : "unique_content_id",
        "type" : "content",
        "program" : "program name",
        "title" : "episode title",
        "length" : "length in seconds",
        "islivestn" : "y",
        "subbrand" : "c05",
        "cli_md" : "LIVE",
        "cli_ch" : "860",
        "cli_cn" : "customCuntentIdentifier",
        "nol_p0" : "p0,optionalValueP0",
        "nol_p1" : "p1,optionalValueP1",
        // ...
        "nol_p18" : "p18,optionalValueP18",
        "nol_p19" : "p19,optionaValuelP19"
     ]

Step 4: 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. 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

Note: "playheadPosition" has to be called every second and the value passed should match the broadcast time for live channel.

• VOD: current position in seconds. Pass whole number that increments only by 1 like 0,1,2,3...
  
• Live: Unix timestamp matching the broadcast time for Content (seconds since Jan-1-1970 UTC). Pass whole number that increments only by 1 like 1631098029,1631098030,1631098031,1631098032,...
  

Using Objective-C

[self.nielsenAppApi playheadPosition:pos];

Using Swift

self.nielsenAppApi?.playheadPosition(pos);

stop

Call when

• ads complete playing
• when a user pauses playback
• when an Ad Break starts during the Content 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

Start the Measurement

In order to start the measurement, follow the 3 first steps below i.e. for Content without Ads. When terminating the Content playback call end to terminate the Content Measurement for the given asset.

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

Step 5: 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
• When an Ad Break starts during the Content Playback
• 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

Step 6: Review SDK Integration Architecture Diagram

For Content Playback

Step 7 : Disclose Nielsen Privacy Statement

The App SDK uses Mobile Ad IDs (Android ID or IDFA) which are fully hashed on the device before being sent to Nielsen (Nielsen never receives un-hashed values). Users retain the possibility to oppose the use of Mobile Ad IDs, or to reset them, by using the functionality provided by the mobile operating system (iOS or Android).

In order to disclose Nielsen measurement privacy statement, please include the following items in your privacy policy:

• A notice that the player includes third party measurement software that allows users to contribute to market research.
• A link to the Nielsen Digital Measurement Privacy Policy located at https://www.nielsen.com/legal/privacy-principles/digital-measurement-privacy-statement/ .

Initialization of the SDK based on User Consent in your App

In collaboration with Mediametrie, the following user consent use cases need to be implemented in your App.

The user explicitly accepts measurement

The SDK is initialized and all IDs are captured. The SDK Opt-in Flags have to be set accordingly, see:

• User opted in
• First Party ID turned on

The user explicitly refuses measurement

The SDK is NOT initialized and No Nielsen SDK measurement will occur.

The user did not explicitly give consent for the measurement(consent neither given nor refused)

The SDK is initialized and no IDs are captured. The SDK Opt-out Flags have to be set accordingly, see:

• User opted out
• First Party ID turned off

Turning off the First Party ID for Opt-out Users during the SDK Initializazion

The First Party ID(FPID) is enabled by default in the Browser SDK. For Opt-out users, the First Party ID can be turned off during the initialization of the SDK Instance, i.e. the parameter enableFpid can be set to "false" (FPID disabled) or "true" (FPID enabled).

Example of SDK Initialization with enableFpid

= 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",
           @"enableFpid": @"true"
                                     };
    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",
           "enableFpid": "true"
        ]
        return NielsenAppApi(appInfo:appInformation, delegate:delegate)
    }
}

>

= 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",
           @"enableFpid": @"false"
                                     };
    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",
           "enableFpid": "false"
        ]
        return NielsenAppApi(appInfo:appInformation, delegate:delegate)
    }
}

>

Setting the SDK global optout Flag for Opt-out Users

The Optoout Flag is set by default to "false" in the AppSDK SDK. For Opt-out users, the Optout Flag can be set. Immediately after creating the AppSDK Instance, set the Optout Flag using the userOptOut AppSDK API.

Example the Ouptout Flag

User opted out

NielsenAppApi?.userOptOut("nielsenappsdk://1");

User opted in

NielsenAppApi?.userOptOut("nielsenappsdk://0");

Step 8 : Review the Reference Implementation for VoD and Live Streams

The Reference Implementation covers VoD and Live use cases. The code also covers also DAI (Dynamic Ad Insertion) that should be ignored since No Ads are measured in France.

Download the Reference Implementation for iOS DKRefImplSwift. Unzip and open the project in Xcode, then run it i.e. in the simulator or on iOS device and then filter the Xcode output with "##" in order to see only relevant Nielsen SDK API Calls, as below:

 Nielsen SDK NielsenInit.getAppApi() - create Instance 
==##!!> LandingVC -- viewDidAppear
==##!!> LandingVC -- Nielsen SDK eventOccurred
==##> Nielsen SDK .play(sdkMethods.loadChannelInfo())
==##> Nielsen SDK nielsenApi.loadMetadata
==##> Nielsen SDK updatePlayheadPosition, pos = 0 / 378
==##> Nielsen SDK updatePlayheadPosition, pos = 1 / 378
==##> Nielsen SDK updatePlayheadPosition, pos = 2 / 378
==##> Nielsen SDK updatePlayheadPosition, pos = 3 / 378
==##> Nielsen SDK updatePlayheadPosition, pos = 4 / 378
==##> terminatePlaybackSession Nielsen SDK end()
==##!!> LandingVC -- viewDidAppear

Step 9 : 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 "nmr" and confirm presence of GN pings

Example of GN ping

https://secure-fr.nmrodam.com/cgi-bin/gn?prd=dcr&ci=us-500207&ch=us-500207_c77_P&asn=defChnAsset&fp_id=&fp_cr_tm=&fp_acc_tm=&fp_emm_tm=&ve_id=&devmodel=&manuf=&sysname=&sysversion=&sessionId=zlmmxkq867zt4bpnumlyz6dpn9hyp1610980356&tl=Episode%201&prv=1&c6=vc%2Cc77&ca=us-500207_c77_VID5556674-123456&cg=TAMSample%20DK&c13=asid%2CP10DF14BA-937E-436D-99DF-ED39A0422387&c32=segA%2CNA&c33=segB%2CNA&c34=segC%2CNA&c15=apn%2C&plugv=&playerv=&sup=1&segment2=&segment1=&forward=0&ad=0&cr=4_00_99_V1_00000&c9=devid%2C&enc=true&c1=nuid%2C999&at=view&rt=video&c16=sdkv%2Cbj.6.0.0&c27=cln%2C0&crs=&lat=&lon=&c29=plid%2C16109803568088038&c30=bldv%2C6.0.0.563&st=dcr&c7=osgrp%2C&c8=devgrp%2C&c10=plt%2C&c40=adbid%2C&c14=osver%2CNA&c26=dmap%2C1&dd=&hrd=&wkd=&c35=adrsid%2C&c36=cref1%2C&c37=cref2%2C&c11=agg%2C1&c12=apv%2C&c51=adl%2C0&c52=noad%2C0&sd=170&devtypid=&pc=NA&c53=fef%2Cy&c54=oad%2C20200713%2010%3A22%3A00&c55=cref3%2C&c57=adldf%2C2&ai=VID5556674-123456&c3=st%2Cc&c64=starttm%2C1610980392&adid=VID5556674-123456&c58=isLive%2Cfalse&c59=sesid%2Cgezrb92q4i9b9jg7acxgn783gjw0a1610980365&c61=createtm%2C1610980392&c63=pipMode%2C&c68=bndlid%2C&nodeTM=&logTM=&c73=phtype%2C&c74=dvcnm%2C&c76=adbsnid%2C&c77=adsuprt%2C2&uoo=&evdata=&c71=ottflg%2C0&c72=otttyp%2Cnone&c44=progen%2C&davty=0&si=http%3A%2F%2Fnielsenonlinesupport.com%2Fdk%2Findex.htm&c66=mediaurl%2Cassets%252FRTVOD_C3%252Fprog_index.m3u8&c62=sendTime%2C1610980392&rnd=714644

Step 10 : Provide your app for certification

Once ready, please send a request (https://portail-marqueurs.mediametrie.com) to Médiamétrie local staff for certification.

Step 11 : Going Live

After the integration has been certified (but not prior that), disable debug logging by deleting {nol_devDebug: "DEBUG"} from initialization call - see Step 2.