Origin completes beta trial and expands to wider market
Origin has completed its beta trials and moved to a new Expanded Availability (EA) phase.
The cross-media measurement solution’s core reporting is now available to any advertiser that pays the Fractional Advertiser Contribution, a small charge applied to agency-booked media activity in the UK.
Sky has been announced as among the first group of new advertisers to sign up under Origin’s EA phase.
Included in Origin’s initial reporting is linear TV, online video and online display.
The launch marks a major step in Origin’s development as the first cross-media measurement service of its kind to launch in the world. Aquila, the US equivalent, is set to enter its own beta trial later this year ahead of a launch in early 2026.
More markets have also shown an interest in developing a cross-media measurement service under the same framework, developed by the World Federation of Advertisers as part of its Halo initiative.
Origin CEO Tom George called it “hugely exciting” to expand the intiative to the wider market.
“With additional enhancements and the scaling to cover more media owners’ inventory, the product will show rapid development throughout 2025 and beyond,” he said.
More development to come
Citing strong demand from the market, George declared now is “the right time to allow access to more advertisers” but added that there are “more ambitious plans for the platform with an extensive development roadmap already in place”.
Included in the roadmap is the addition of TikTok and Amazon inventory, which were previously forecast to be onboarded during Q2 and Q3 respectively.
With the addition of these platforms, alongside online video, display and linear TV via Origin’s own TV panel, the measurement platform claims it will be able to measure 70% of UK adspend.
The eventual goal, as previously stated by chief customer officer Martin Lawson, is to further onboard additional media channels, such as OOH, audio, publishing and direct mail, to provide “a fully comprehensive perspective on all media touchpoints”.
Origin is also working on features to expand its reporting services to include advanced reporting, planning and measuring outcomes-based metrics, the latter of which has become increasingly popular among marketers.
The beta trials involved more than 30 of the UK’s largest advertisers and their agency partners. They largely received positive feedback from agency buyers despite warnings from some industry leaders over a lack of standardised measurement with existing currencies.
Barb CEO Justin Sampson, for example, has described Origin’s inclusion of audience data that does not adhere to Media Rating Council (MRC) standards as akin to a “foreign exchange nightmare”, noting that existing joint industry currencies (JICs) work to a higher measurement standard.
The Media Leader previously reported that a plan, dubbed the “Covent Garden protocol“, was tabled for Barb to join Origin via a hybrid reporting model that incorporated multiple reports with different viewability standards.
Currently, Origin users can view MRC viewability standards, alongside other options (such as a custom filter). However, there is no default option.
Denise Turner, the former CEO of OOH JIC Route who is incoming IPA research director, has also previously expressed concern that cross-media measurement efforts could lead advertisers to measure to a “least common denominator”. She has warned that the lack of non-video and display media channels in Origin at launch could have a negative impact on media owners and advertisers alike.
A priority for marketers
That has not abated advertiser demand for Origin. Bhavin Balvantrai, Omnicom Media Group’s chief market analyst, noted that its clients have represented about half of those involved in Origin’s beta trials and there will be “undoubtedly more demand from our client base once it goes live”.
“Origin has been one of our strategic priorities and adds rich data in an increasingly data-driven world,” Balvantrai added. “We believe it can be further leveraged in OMG’s systems and we will be trialling the Origin API later this year to help facilitate this.”
Outgoing Isba director-general and Origin chair Phil Smith called brand owners “the driving force behind Origin”, which “remains Isba’s number one strategic priority”.
“It is extremely gratifying to see the programme reach this stage after many years of hard work,” said Smith. “Origin represents the embodiment of Isba’s ambition to empower our members to understand the industry and help shape its future, and of our purpose to create an advertising environment that is transparent, responsible and accountable.
“With Origin now open to more marketers, it will help advertisers navigate a complex market and deliver more effective advertising.”
The announcement was made at Isba’s annual President’s Lunch on Wednesday.
Isba’s Phil Smith: Advertisers should take a bigger stake in Origin