Following yesterday’s news from Ofcom that YouTube has overtaken ITV to become the UK’s second most-watched service, Barb has announced it has begun reporting TV-set viewing to YouTube channels.
Barb is working with its research partner Kantar Media on the initiative, making it the first TV joint-industry measurement system in the world to incorporate viewing on YouTube channels.
The company has chosen 200 of the most-watched YouTube channels to become part of its regular audience reporting, including kids’ content such as Bluey and Peppa Pig; sports, news, entertainment like Doctor Who and popular YouTubers such as MrBeast, Sidemen and Topper Guild.
Barb’s client portal includes the weekly reach, share of total identified viewing on TV sets and total minutes viewed for each of the 200 YouTube channels.
The weekly report does not include YouTube channels operated by TV companies as Barb already includes the data in its reports for broadcasters.
Caroline Baxter, Chief Operating Officer at Barb said: “We are constantly innovating to keep pace with what people are watching today, without being constrained by the platforms or devices people watch on. We’ve gone beyond linear to report audiences to BVoD services, and we’ve gone beyond broadcasters to report audiences to the streamers.
“Now, using the same techniques we’ve been using for many years to report audiences to programmes on linear channels and streaming services, we’re breaking new ground again. This fresh, independent insight will shine a light on what people watch on YouTube for the first time, starting to answer the questions that are being asked across the advertising, programming and regulatory parts of our industry.”
