Key Points
- IAB Europe has finalized a framework intended to standardize how connected television advertising campaigns are measured and reported across Europe.
- The framework establishes common definitions and reporting expectations across broadcasters, streaming services and digital-first video platforms.
- IAB Europe says foundational measurements can affect the reliability of downstream audience and performance metrics.
The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) European branch has finalized a framework intended to bring greater consistency to connected television advertising measurement, establishing common metrics and transparency standards for campaigns running across broadcasters, streaming services and other digital video platforms.
The Connected TV Measurement Framework and Transparency Principles, released Thursday by IAB Europe, following an industry consultation, organizes measurement around three interconnected categories covering ad delivery, audiences and campaign outcomes.
The first category establishes foundational delivery metrics including impressions, invalid traffic filtration, viewability and whether a television was powered on when an advertisement was delivered. IAB Europe said those measurements provide the foundation for subsequent audience and campaign performance metrics.
Exposure and audience measurements include reach, device identification, view-through rates, video completion rates and information about programming surrounding an advertisement.
The third category covers campaign outcomes, including conversions, return on ad spend, incrementality, brand uplift, ad recall and attention.
A central element of the framework is the relationship between those measurements: IAB Europe said problems with foundational metrics, such as invalid traffic or determining whether a television was actually powered on, can affect the reliability of audience and performance measurements built on them.
The organization also established five transparency principles calling for standardized definitions, disclosure of measurement limitations, support for advertiser-initiated data collection, visibility into device power status and more granular reporting.
Measurement providers reporting person-level reach should disclose whether audiences were directly observed or modeled, according to the framework. Providers should also explain their methodology and assumptions, including those involving co-viewing.
“Consistency is not simply about using the same metric names; it is also about being clear on methodology, limitations and the assumptions behind the numbers being reported,” Will Hunter, the Director of SpringServe EMEA at Magnite and lead of IAB Europe’s CTV Working Group, said in a statement on Thursday
The framework was developed with participation from companies and organizations including Amazon Ads, FreeWheel, Samsung Ads, IAB UK, MFE, ProSiebenSat.1, RTÉ and EGTA.
The full rules are available to view by clicking or tapping here.
