US local TV measurement study launched
January 20, 2023
TV industry bodies the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM), the 4A’s and the TVB are launching a joint study focused on developing an action plan for supporting the evolution of local TV measurement in the US market. The initiative will involve an extensive programme of research, consultation, and engagement with the industry, helping to identify and evaluate the options for buyers and sellers.
With the proliferation of local TV brands available free over-the-air, on pay-TV services, Smart TVs, and FAST platforms – and a wide range of buy- and sell-sides participants with varying strategies, resources and requirements – the local TV marketplace is complex and fragmented, they say. As fragmentation has increased, TV measurement in local markets has become more challenging, as it has with national. However, many of the TV datasets that are helping to improve national measurement are unevenly available across different local markets, if at all.
To address this, CIMM, the 4A’s and the TVB have commissioned consulting firm Sequent Partners to undertake a diagnostic exercise, focused on assessing the current state of the market, evaluating requirements across the ecosystem, and identifying potential solutions. The initiative will involve:
- Assessing the current state of local TV measurement in the US and the extent to which current measurement solutions are meeting the diverse needs of local stations (including those owned by major networks), agencies and advertisers, as they look to plan, sell, buy, and deliver local TV campaigns.
- Identifying and establishing buy- and sell-side requirements and priorities for improving and enhancing local TV measurement solutions in the short, medium, and long-term.
- Reviewing the current offerings and future roadmaps of local TV measurement providers to assess how and when the current challenges and future requirements will be satisfactorily addressed.
- Identifying and evaluating any practical initiatives and interventions that can be undertaken in the short, medium and long-term – collectively and/or individually – to address current measurement challenges and to support buyers and sellers of local advertising.
- Developing a set of recommendations for the industry through identification of practical steps that could be taken collectively to improve measurement and, ultimately, support the local TV ad market.
“The growth of new platforms has increased the supply of data in the market, opening up new opportunities for measurement, advanced audience buying and attribution,” said Jon Watts, Managing Director at CIMM. “However, there is increasing industry sentiment that these opportunities are unevenly distributed and often unavailable at scale in every local market – and that there is limited coordination on requirements and priorities amongst different players. Based on discussions with CIMM’s members, we’ve seen considerable interest and enthusiasm in undertaking an initiative such as this to develop a coordinated response to current challenges and an action plan for local TV measurement in the US. As a non-partisan, pan-industry Coalition, CIMM is uniquely well positioned to undertake this initiative, working closely and collaboratively with the TVB and the 4A’s. We’re confident that a collaborative effort like this one can help the industry to make real progress.”
“As local television and video consumption continue to evolve, it should come as no surprise that changing viewing patterns and adoption of technology present important challenges and upside opportunities for all parties involved in the local TV advertising ecosystem,” added Ashwini Karandikar, EVP Media, Technology & Data, 4A’s. “Our members continue to seek an accurate way to measure and maximise the investments they make on behalf of their advertiser clients. We are excited to partner with CIMM and the TVB in this study to explore local measurement challenges and develop an action plan that will work for all parties involved in a local TV transaction.”
“The TVB is committed to helping advance local broadcast television measurement,” said Hadassa Gerber, EVP Chief Research Officer, TVB. “All sales are local, and accurate local measurement is key to unlocking valuable audiences for our agency and advertiser clients. As sellers and buyers embrace impressions-based buys and audience targeting across all local video platforms, the need for more accurate and timely viewer data is essential to the growth of the local broadcast TV industry. TVB, as the representative of broadcast TV stations across the country, is pleased to partner with the 4A’s and CIMM in conducting this critically important study to explore local measurement challenges and identify the priorities necessary to create an industry-wide local TV measurement action plan.”
“‘I strongly endorse this initiative as it will serve as a critical first step towards advancing local measurement to meet the current, as well as, future needs of buyers and sellers,” stated Betsy Rella, VP of Research & Data at NY Interconnect. “I encourage industry leaders to be active participants in shaping the requirements, methodologies, systems, and processes needed for accurate, stable, and reliable measurement.”
“Gamut is proud to support CIMM’s commitment to advancing measurement for traditional and streaming TV advertising in the local marketplace,” declared Keith Kazerman, President of Gamut. “In an increasingly complex media landscape, standardization is crucial, and this initiative is leading the way in establishing consistent, reliable measurement practices that will benefit the entire industry.”
“Local should move away from buying on age/gender demographics and move towards using audience demographic data,” asserted Patti Cohen SVP, Research at CBS. “Local can provide clients targeted audience buying. Local needs to move towards Cross Platform and we know that local provides a strong reach and our streaming platforms have strong engagement with viewers. All of this will require a step change in measurement – and we’re hopeful that this new initiative can help to determine how best to move forward from here.”