How is Playout data verified? Mediasense explains its OOH audit process
Can advertisers be confident that their out-of-home (OOH) ads actually played as booked?
That is one of the questions behind Playout, the industry-wide platform that brings together data on when and where OOH ads have played.
The platform is independently verified by global marketing and media advisory firm mediasense, giving advertisers and agencies independent assurance that the data is reliable. But what does the verification process actually involve?
The Media Leader spoke to Adam Edelshain, VP of client solutions at mediasense, to take a closer look at how Playout is verified, from testing proof of play and data quality to reconciling Playout records with media owner systems.
The issue is becoming increasingly relevant as Route develops an integration with Playout data for use in media mix modelling (MMM), which is due to be released before the end of the year.
Route developing integration with Playout data for use in media mix modelling
What experience made mediasense a good fit to independently verify Playout?
We have a team of Media Owner Assurance specialists, who are essentially auditors that specialise in verifying both media owner KPIs – principally audience data such as reach, frequency, demographics etc – and the processes and controls that underpin this data. For OOH, these media owners include Bauer, Global, JCDecaux and Ocean Outdoor.
In today’s world, where we have seen an erosion of trust across all sectors of society, we believe independent verification is more important than ever.
How did you go about designing the processes to test Playout’s data? What were the key considerations and challenges?
We took a risk-based approach. We mapped the end-to-end Playout process and identified the points where data quality or integrity could be compromised.
From there, we designed a suite of verification procedures focused on the areas that matter most: confirming that ads genuinely played when reported, validating the quality of the data entering the platform, and ensuring robust controls around data access and security.
The challenge was designing a framework that could work consistently across multiple media owners and source systems while providing confidence in a single industry-wide standard.
Can you explain how the verification for Playout works?
The verification framework is designed around three key areas: proof of play, data validation and data segregation. Together, these provide assurance that the data within Playout is complete, accurate and appropriately protected.
Some of the testing is performed at the platform level, focusing on the controls, processes and validation routines that Adwanted has designed and implemented within Playout. This includes assessing how data is ingested, how exceptions are identified and managed, and how access to data is controlled.
Other elements of the verification, particularly around proof of play, extend beyond the platform itself. These tests are designed to provide confidence that the records being submitted by media owners accurately reflect what was delivered in the real world. In practice, this means tracing information back to source systems and validating that the playout records received by Playout are accurate representations of the underlying activity.
By combining platform-level testing with independent verification of source data, the framework provides assurance not only that Playout is operating as intended, but also that the information being reported through the platform can be relied upon by advertisers, agencies and media owners.
How do you conduct real-time observation of playouts?
The real-time observation process involves an independent team of analysts visiting a sample of screens and recording observed playouts in the field. The sample is selected using the SPACE inventory database and is designed to include a representative mix of formats, media owners and geographic locations.
For each observation, we capture time-stamped records of the creative displayed. Those observations are then matched against the corresponding playout records obtained both from Playout and from the media owner’s source systems.
This allows us to verify that ads observed in the real world are accurately reflected in the underlying playout logs and reported consistently across the different systems involved. By comparing observed activity against recorded activity, we can provide independent assurance over the completeness and accuracy of the proof-of-play data.
How is this reconciled with media owner systems?
As part of the verification process, mediasense selects a random sample of locations, screens and time periods for testing from across the participating estate. To facilitate this, we work with media owners to identify the relevant screens and obtain the corresponding playout logs for the selected period.
We then reconcile the media owner’s records against the proof-of-play data captured through the Playout platform and the field recordings. This comparison enables us to verify that the content displayed on screen matches what has been reported, providing independent assurance over the accuracy and integrity of the data.
From the Playout audits you have carried out, what can you tell us about the accuracy and reliability of its data?
The results to date show a consistently high level of alignment between observed playouts, Playout data and media owner records. In 2024, 98% of the frames sampled matched perfectly, while 100% of the sampled ads observed across the frames tested so far in 2026 have matched the corresponding records reported in Playout. 2026 testing is continuing across participating media owners.
What do these findings mean for advertisers, agencies, and others working with Playout data?
Both the willingness to invest in independent verification and the strong results to date should give confidence to advertisers and agencies in the reliability and robustness of the Playout data.
Advertisers and agencies should also be aware of Outsmart’s willingness to evolve the scope over time to address industry challenges. We are working with Outsmart to test Classic (non-digital) frames in 2027, and we encourage further industry dialogue to ensure the independent testing performed over Playout addresses the needs/concerns of advertisers and agencies.