(The deal was cut before the proposed merger was announced; presumably any potential regulatory hurdles won't scuttle the partnership.)

Lee said he's not opposed to the strategy on principle. "It depends on how the deal is structured," he explained. "If they’re using the Arbitron people-meters for out of home, it’s conceivable that we would extend that as a currency." But he’s also wary of false equivalencies. “In an airport, for example, you have no audio, just visual.”

It's a strategy CNN needs to work; traditional linear cable ratings have always given the network’s footprint short shrift, and it wants to sell every measurable viewer. "The CNN viewership has always migrated to platforms where they can get more content," says Greg D’Alba, president of CNN news networks and Turner digital ad sales and marketing. "Out-of-home viewership has always been important to the brand. read more http://www.adweek.com/news/television/new-cnn-gets-big-data-game-147817.