The future of TV and streaming measurement: Why trust still matters
Opinion – The Future of TV: Global Series
Numeris, the TV ratings currency provider in Canada, argues that exposure and outcomes are not competing ideas but work together. But neither works well without trust, and that requires a single, transparent, industry-governed currency.
As TV and streaming continue to evolve, one question is surfacing: if advertisers focus more on outcomes, do we still need a common measurement currency?
The answer is yes.
This isn’t a choice between outcomes and exposure, or platform data and independent measurement. A single, independent, industry-agreed currency remains essential to a healthy media marketplace.
Currency still underpins trust
‘Currency’ is the shared metric used to buy and sell media. Joint Industry Committees (JICs) have long provided that standard through independent, transparent measurement for buyers and sellers.
That model endures because it creates consistency, enables comparison, and builds trust by giving both buyers and sellers a voice and a broader view of audiences across the media ecosystem.
Today, that definition is under pressure. In digital, impressions are counted differently across platforms, and some rely on proprietary reporting or emerging ‘alt currencies’. But the core principle remains: a trading currency should be a single agreed standard.
Without one, markets become fragmented and inefficient. Canada saw this when Nielsen and BBM Canada produced different ratings for the same programmes, creating confusion and reinforcing the need for one currency. Today, Numeris is the sole TV ratings currency provider in Canada.
Not everything needs to be a currency.
The industry can support multiple measurement services for different purposes, but the trading currency that sets advertising value works best when it is a single standard, agreed on by advertisers, agencies, and media companies.
That is the model in Canada: TV trades on audience data, while digital trades on server data.
Tools like Numeris’ Video Audience Measurement (VAM) were built for planning and analysis, not trading, though they could evolve into currency with industry input, standardised metrics, and consistent reporting.
One size does not fit all
At the same time, no single dataset can meet every need in today’s media environment.
The industry must now go beyond audience numbers. There is growing demand for a fuller view of performance: deduplicated reach, attention, programmatic activity, and the path to purchase.
It also needs a consistent, unduplicated view of audiences across media environments, including emerging channels like retail media.
That is where multiple measurement solutions add value. They support specialisation, incorporate new data sources, and reflect the reality that no currency system can answer every question.
So, while a single trading currency should endure, multiple measurement solutions will continue to evolve to support planning, optimisation, insight, and outcomes.
Outcomes matter, but are not enough
Outcomes matter more than ever, but they are not the whole picture.
Audience measurement still matters: broadcasters use reach and frequency to value inventory, and planners rely on them for allocation and optimisation.
Outcomes are shaped by many factors beyond media, including creative quality and market conditions. Impressions can help compare platforms, but they do not replace reach and frequency, which remain essential for planning.
The goal is not to replace exposure measurement, but to connect it to outcomes. A complete view of performance needs both.
The critical role of JICs
As media measurement grows more complex, JICs become more important, not less.
JICs were created to provide neutral, transparent, industry-governed measurement for trading and planning. Today, they oversee methods that go beyond panels to hybrid systems using large datasets, statistical modelling, and AI.
JICs are evolving too – expanding into total video, adding new data sources, and in some markets moving toward more unified structures to reduce fragmentation and strengthen the industry’s voice.
But this isn’t easy: different media have distinct systems, technical demands, and governance needs, so fair stakeholder representation remains essential.
That is why common standards and governance matter. JICs bring together advertisers, agencies, and media owners to ensure measurement is agreed upon, independent, transparent, and trusted.
As methods become more complex, JICs also play a vital role in education and oversight. Advanced systems are powerful but harder to explain, so JICs must make them more transparent and easier for the industry to trust.
Exposure and outcomes are not competing ideas—they work together. But neither works well without trust, and trust depends on a single, transparent, industry-governed currency, supported by a broader ecosystem of measurement solutions.
As the media landscape grows more complex, the industry requires more clarity, not less. A single currency provides that clarity, and JICs ensure trust evolves with measurement.
Alicia Olson-Keating is president & CEO at Numeris and NLogic (pictured above, right), and Dr. Derrick Gray is the chief research & operations officer at Numeris and NLogic (also pictured).