Barb has announced it is expanding its YouTube measurement to include content watched on TV sets.
The initiative follows a proof-of-concept test run by research partner Kantar Media in November. Barb is selecting 200 YouTube channels in collaboration with advertising planning provider SeeViews, which will form part of its daily audience reporting. Barb will become the world’s first TV joint industry measurement to incorporate viewing to YouTube channels, said the company.
Using audio-matching automatic content recognition (ACR), Kantar Media will identify when the selected channels are watched on TV sets by Barb panel members. Router meters will provide URL detection to confirm YouTube as the source.
Justin Sampson, chief executive at Barb said: “Barb’s innovation programme continues to bear fruit. In recent years we have gone beyond broadcasters and beyond linear to deliver a fundamental step-change in our industry’s understanding of how people watch programmes and ads. We’re now starting to deliver on a commitment to report more of the content people watch on YouTube. This commitment came off the back of an industry consultation which established a buy-side consensus on the need for transparent reporting of content with contextual indicators of quality. Our new data on the content people are watching on YouTube will meet several needs across our industry. Advertisers and media agencies are looking for more insight into the most-watched editorial environments on YouTube, while programme-makers use our data to inform the commissioning process. We also anticipate the data will be of interest to those working in industry regulation.”
Lucy Bristowe, CEO UK and Western Europe at Kantar Media, added: “YouTube viewing on the TV set increased by 31 per cent in the UK in 2024. This new initiative, underpinned by our advanced audio-matching technology, will help the industry to understand the growth of YouTube within the context of an increasingly fragmented viewing landscape. We are delighted to have reached this important milestone with Barb as part of our shared mission to understand what people watch.”
Barb aims to begin reporting the YouTube statistics in Q3.
