Exclusive
YouTube has rejoined the Barb measurement system, The Media Leader can reveal.
The global video-sharing giant owned by Google is understood to have begun buying third-party measurement services again from Barb since April — a year after it left the UK measurement system.
YouTube left Barb last year after the measurement company, which is backed by the UK’s major TV broadcasters, put in place new restrictions over how licensees could use its data.
The video-sharing platform had wanted to integrate Barb data into its own proprietary planning tools, but Barb has strict rules in place for how licensees use its data.
The Media Leader revealed last year that a row broke out when, according to a letter issued to Barb shareholders from CEO Justin Sampson, YouTube could not confirm its planning tools comply with cross-media standards issued by the Media Rating Council, given YouTube’s public commitment on the issue.
Earlier this year, Barb joined the Media Rating Council.
Barb joins Media Rating Council
Measurement debate
How online video audiences are measured has become a key issue in the media industry, as advertisers demand more detailed and quicker methods of measuring the return on their investment in media.
While UK broadcasters Sky, ITV and Channel 4 have developed cross-platform measurement initiative CFlight in the UK, advertiser trade body Isba is on the verge of launching Origin, a holistic platform that aims to measure ads’ true reach and frequency across media channels.
In late 2021, Sampson confirmed that Barb had “not yet” given Isba approval to use its data within Origin, with discussions continuing into this summer as Isba prepares to launch a beta version to media agencies and advertisers that contains real audience data for the first time.
The revelation comes within weeks of AudienceProject announcing that it has begun working with YouTube to “provide third-party cross-media reach measurement of YouTube campaigns across all devices, including CTV, with co-viewing”.
Barb warns YouTube amid measurement row
Adwanted Connected, The Media Leader‘s Adwanted group stablemate, is also a Barb licensee as a provider of TV ratings data.
A Barb spokesperson said: “Since 2021, streaming services have been an integral part of Barb’s delivery of the industry’s standard for understanding what people watch. This includes reporting audiences for YouTube, although this is limited to viewing that takes place at home through a Wi-Fi router.
“Google has purchased a licence in accordance with Barb’s 2024 rate card that allows it to use Barb data as part of its daily dealings with the advertising industry. Google is not planning to integrate any Barb data into its first-party planning tools.”
Google did not comment.
