As True Cross-Platform Measurement Draws Closer To Reality, Business Issues Such As Planning, Buying and Attribution Gain Focus

February 9, 2019

CIMM provides industry with update on state of cross-platform measurement at 8thannual summit

New York, NY, February 7, 2019 –The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) today hosted executives from across the media buying and selling industries at the 8thAnnual Cross-Platform Video Measurement & Data Summit – the industry’s annual gathering to assess the state of cross-platform audience measurement and bringing more granular measurement for TV viewing.

The Summit provided an up-to-date look at the state of cross-platform measurement from the point of view of marketers, media companies, agencies, video distributors and new TV “platform” providers.

In her opening remarks, Jane Clarke, CEO and managing director, noted that many industry initiatives have made notable progress over the past year, with CIMM particularly supporting the launch of TAXI Complete.

The initiative, which is a joint effort between CIMM, Kantar Media, Ad-ID and EIDR, was launched following publication by SMPTE of Kantar Media’s audio watermarks as open standards for binding identifiers into advertising and content. The watermarks enable automation of workflows and provide the foundation for a host of advanced advertising capabilities.

While many critical issues such as how to de-duplicate viewers across all platforms still need to be resolved, many of the technological components needed for cross-platform measurement are coming to fruition, and Clarke says the time is now right for a closer look at some of the business issues relating to this new measurement reality.

“There is certainly still much work to be done, but great progress has been made over the past few years in advancing critical technologies needed for cross-platform measurement,” says Clarke.  “As that reality of being able to accurately measure audiences across platforms nears, it is time to consider how our business will change. Functions such as media buying, media planning and the impact upon attribution analysis will all be profoundly impacted and there is a need to foster an industry discussion as to what that future will look like.”

Attribution took particular focus at the Summit, with the introduction of an analysis commissioned by CIMM and the 4As. The TV Attribution Provider Guide, developed by Sequent Partners, provides the industry with a comprehensive analysis and comparison of the major attribution companies working in television today and their approach.

Additional sessions included:

  • Krishan Bhatia, EVP, Business Operations & Strategy at NBCUniversal discussed the future of TV measurement, advanced advertising and TV buying platforms in a Fireside Chat.
  • Major buyers and sellers of cross-platform premium video discussed the business issues, including Rob Master, VP, Media & Consumer Engagement, Unilever; David Cohen, President, North America, MAGNA; Laura Nathanson, EVP, Revenue & Operations, Disney Advertising Sales; along with Janet Baylis, Global Advisory Leader, Media & Entertainment, EY.
  • A discussion on potential new cross-media currency metrics was moderated by Louis Jones, EVP, Media & Data at the 4A’s, and included as panelists George Ivie, CEO & Executive Director of the Media Rating Council; Kavita Vazirani, EVP, Insights & Measurement, NBCUniversal; Brian Hughes, EVP, Audience Intelligence & Strategy, MAGNA; and Jim Dravillas, Head of Advertising Research, Google.
  • Jack Smith, Chief Product Officer, Global Investments, GroupM gave highlights from the CES tour he is now conducting (following in the footsteps of Irwin Gotlieb), and helped us to look around the corner at what’s next for media & measurement.

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About CIMM

The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) is comprised of leading video content providers, media agencies and advertisers that aim to promote innovation and foster efficiencies in audience measurement for television and cross-platform video. In 2018, CIMM was acquired by the ARF (Advertising Research Foundation), with the goal of expanding the categories of members as well as our initiatives. CIMM initiatives to date have included exploration and identification of new methodologies in cross-platform audience measurement, with verification of these approaches through pilot tests and studies conducted with independent measurement companies. CIMM’s focus has been on two key areas: the current and future potential of television measurement through the use of return-path data, and new methods for cross-platform media measurement.