BARB has announced a significant expansion of its measurement of YouTube content viewed on TV sets. This makes BARB the first TV joint-industry measurement system globally to integrate YouTube channel viewership into its reporting.
Following a successful pilot program conducted in November 2024 by Kantar Media for BARB, which tracked 175 videos from 12 popular YouTube channels, the next stage involves incorporating data from 200 YouTube channels. This selection, guided by viewing volumes and content type, prioritizes channels meeting industry brand safety standards. Partnering with SeeViews, a specialist in YouTube advertising campaign planning, ensures a robust and representative sample.
Kantar Media will employ audio-matching automatic content recognition (ACR), coupled with router meter URL detection, to identify and confirm YouTube viewership within the BARB panel homes. This established method, identical to that used for linear channels and VOD streamers, ensures accurate and reliable data collection. The goal is to provide daily audience data incorporating these 200 selected YouTube channels by Q3 2025.
Justin Sampson, Chief Executive at BARB, stated: “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.”