New York, NY (November 6, 2025) – The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB today released a new study, authored by Patti Cohen, that examines how local viewing is measured across television, mobile devices, browsers, streaming platforms, and out-of-home environments. The study identifies critical data gaps in today’s syndicated local measurement systems and assesses how these limitations affect the accuracy and completeness of local video audience insights.
Local television channels and content – from news and syndicated programming to sports – continue to play a vital role in consumers’ media consumption. However, the ecosystem has become increasingly fragmented and complex, spanning broadcast, CTV apps, mobile streams, FAST channels, digital-only programming, and social video. Much of this viewing is hard to measure and is not currently fully captured in syndicated measurement solutions. CIMM and TVB estimate that 20-30% of local viewing is not credited in syndicated measurement systems.
“As local video consumption continues to expand across new platforms, the industry needs to build on recent progress and take steps to plug current gaps, evolving measurement approaches to account for all viewing,” said Jon Watts, Managing Director at CIMM. “TV isn’t declining, it’s just becoming more diverse, spreading across different platforms and devices. Measurement needs to follow. This important study helps to diagnose the current situation, so that we can understand where we are and work to establish the foundation for a more future-ready local measurement ecosystem.”
In the report, CIMM and TVB outline three priority areas where industry collaboration can make a measurable difference:
- Upfront collaboration: Early alignment between buyers and sellers on what is counted and how it is reported in a simple, consistent way across markets and screens to help reduce friction later in planning, posting, and reconciliation.
- Enablement: Broader adoption of tagging, mapping, and integration requirements to ensure local digital and streaming audiences are fully captured.
- Shared standards: Consistent stream tagging, source identifiers, and metadata mapping across platforms to account for gaps in device coverage, inconsistent inclusion logic and differences in methodologies.
“This study represents the first comprehensive effort to map how local audiences are measured across environments,” said Hadassa Gerber, EVP Chief Research Officer at TVB. “By having broadcasters, measurement vendors, and technology platforms come together around clear definitions and shared data practices, we can ensure that every local viewer across every screen is counted.”
To download the full report, visit: https://cimm-us.org/plugging-the-gaps-a-diagnostic-analysis-of-local-tv-and-video-measurement/
About CIMM
The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) is a non-partisan, pan-industry coalition focused on cultivating improvements, best practices and innovations in measurement and currency, new metrics and approaches to understanding the value of media, and data collaboration and enablement. CIMM’s members include leading networks, studios, streamers and programmers, MVPDs, TV OEMs and OS providers, major digital businesses, agencies, measurement and data providers, trade bodies and consultants. CIMM is a subsidiary of the Advertising Research Foundation and adheres to the ARF’s principles of scientific rigor, objectivity and evidence-based research.
About TVB
TVB is the not-for-profit trade association representing America’s local broadcast television industry, including linear and digital platforms. Its members include the U.S. television stations, television broadcast groups, advertising sales reps, syndicators, international broadcasters and associate members. TVB actively promotes local media marketing solutions to the advertising community and works to develop advertising dollars for the medium’s multiple platforms, including on-air, online and mobile. TVB provides a diverse variety of tools and resources, including its website, to support its members and to help advertisers make the best use of local ad dollars.
