We've been following Nielsen's mobile plans for some time now, as measuring audiences for cell phone media has been a real sticking point for content providers. Today's development involves one of those providers; according to a new MediaWeek report, ESPN and Nielsen plan to collaborate across multiple platforms to track viewers.

MediaWeek wrote that by tapping into a number of Nielsen divisions, including Nielsen Mobile (Telephia), NetRatings, and Nielsen's new TV/Internet Convergence panel, the two companies will work together to combine and fuse data in order to understand how consumers interact with the ESPN brand across platforms.

"At the end of the day, we can't tell you what the three screens [Internet, mobile, on-air] deliver," said Artie Bulgrin, senior VP of research and sales development for ESPN, in the article. "We need that to establish confidence for the advertisers. This is about gaining insights that were never before possible."

Nielsen, ESPN to Track Multiplatform Performance [MediaWeek]