Paramount Global is getting ready to smack Nielsen with a ruler. Paramount Global has told both its ad-sales staff as well as executives at prominent media-buying agencies that it is very close to ending its reliance on Nielsen ratings data,

Paramount will use measurement data from VideoAmp from October 1 if their contract with Nielsen is not renewed. This article, Paramount may drop Nielsen ratings in October, report says, was first published at The Desk.

A Nielsen spokesperson tells TheWrap that it hopes to reach a new deal and continue to partner with Paramount, but emphasized that all of its other customers and the industry at large would continue to have full access to its data, even if a new deal is not reached by the deadline. Nielsen has a deal in place with every other legacy media company.