Nielsen transforms India arm from GCC to Global Innovation Centre

Global media measurement company Nielsen has evolved its presence in India from a Global Capability Centre (GCC) into a Global Innovation Centre (GIC), playing an increasingly active role in product development and innovation, according to a senior executive.

Anil Goel, Chief Technology Officer at Nielsen, said the transition reflects a broader shift in the company’s identity—from a traditional data and analytics firm to a more technology-led media company.

Nielsen’s early operations in India were shaped by acquisitions such as Repucom, a sports research firm in Bengaluru, and a Gracenote-affiliated company in Mumbai. These brought in around 2,000 employees, largely focused on support and analytics functions.

This began to change in 2024, when Nielsen added 3,000 new roles in India, mainly in technology, product, and data science. The company now employs nearly 5,000 people in India, with about half working on innovation-related functions.

“So previously, teams in India mainly supported products led by the US or Europe, handling only parts of them, while most employees worked in other functions. Today, many product, innovation, and research decisions are driven from India—though we still maintain strong innovation hubs in the US, Europe, and elsewhere,” Goel said.

The shift to a GIC model is being driven by both strategic intent and local opportunity. Goel noted that India offers a deep talent pool—comparable to Silicon Valley—and the ability to scale operations effectively.

He also highlighted India’s diversity—across languages, mobile devices, and bandwidth—as a key advantage for product testing.

“India presents a unique opportunity because of its diversity—in languages, mobile devices, and bandwidth—which is greater than in most countries. So, when products are developed and tested in India first, they tend to perform exceptionally well globally,” he added.

Nielsen is currently developing digital measurement tools, AI-powered insights, and big data platforms out of India—many of which are designed for use in global markets.

This change aligns with wider industry trends. As audiences move from traditional television to streaming and mobile platforms, media measurement has become significantly more complex.

Nielsen now processes over 100 terabytes of data daily, using AI and machine learning models to analyse and forecast audience behaviour across fragmented platforms.

India has become a key contributor to this innovation drive. Local teams are involved in areas such as sound engineering, Automatic Content Recognition (ACR), artificial intelligence, large language models (LLMs), and cross-platform audience tracking through products like Nielsen One.

To support this shift, Nielsen has expanded its offices in Bengaluru and Mumbai, where the majority of its 5,000 employees are based. It also operates satellite tech hubs in Gurugram and Hyderabad.

In 2025, the company plans to recruit a further 1,000 people in India, focusing on engineering, AI, data science, and hardware or firmware development.

“We’re competing for talent with some of the biggest tech brands,” Goel said. “But we offer work with real impact on the global media landscape.”

Looking ahead, Nielsen plans to invest further in AI, predictive analytics, and media planning tools to help advertisers and content creators make faster, data-driven decisions.

The company is also open to acquisitions in emerging areas such as retail media, the creator economy, and in-game advertising.

“We are no longer just a technology-enabled company,” said Goel. “Today, technology is at the core of who we are.”