BARB, the UK television audience measurement currency, announced today that Kantar, the world’s leading data, insights and consulting company, has won major contracts to continue to deliver audience measurement that supports the £7.5 billion UK TV industry.
The new contracts, which run until the end of 2029, follow a rigorous competitive tender process. They will reinforce BARB’s commitment to providing a gold-standard service that delivers a comprehensive measure of what people watch through a wide range of technology platforms.
Justin Sampson, Chief Executive of BARB, commented: “Today’s announcement underscores the long-term commitment of the UK television and advertising industry to independent, objective and transparent audience measurement. Staying true to the objective of the tender process, BARB is delighted to be working with Kantar on the delivery of imaginative and engaging solutions with the versatility to track the full range of linear and on-demand services viewers can choose from.”
The representative panel of 7,000 households, a 40% increase on the current reporting size, will be the largest-ever increase in reporting sample since BARB’s inception. The latest audience measurement technology, Kantar People Meter 7, will be installed in panel homes alongside the existing Kantar Focal Meter to deliver four-screen measurement including viewing on TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones. The integrated Kantar solution offers the potential for second-by-second measurement, dynamic ad inventory measurement and extended reporting of time-shifted viewing.
The service will be future-ready, incorporating new viewing platforms and devices as they reach a critical mass. This includes the expansion of Kantar’s scalable solution to report content ratings and aggregate-level viewing for streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney+.
Kantar will continue to collect census-level data across all devices on behalf of BARB. This data, from over 70 broadcaster player environments including BBC iPlayer and ITV Hub, reports viewing on all broadcaster video-on-demand services, totalling over 163 billion minutes (equivalent to more than 300,000 years) of playtime annually.
Adam Crozier, Chairman, Kantar, commented: “The BARB service is one of the most prestigious audience measurement contracts in the world. Today’s announcement is testament to Kantar’s leadership in audience measurement, delivering integrated, scalable audience solutions. The team looks forward to building on our long-term partnership with BARB as we continue to meet the needs of the UK TV industry.”
This is the latest in a series of wins and developments announced by Kantar in 2021. They include cross-platform measurement expansions in Brazil and Canada, Kantar People Meter 7 deployments in several European markets, and the total audience measurement solution underway in the Netherlands. Together these services ensure Kantar continues to deliver people-based audience measurement solutions in fifty markets that underpin the growth of a widening, dynamic eco-system.