Study analyzes the full economics of cross-platform TV currency, including cost structures, scale requirements, and more
New York, NY (January 22, 2026) – The Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) today released a new study – conducted by industry measurement executives Manish Bhatia and Josh Chasin – finding that, despite significant economic, structural, and operational challenges, the U.S. television and video advertising marketplace is large enough to support at least two national, currency-grade TV measurement solutions, given the overall size of the market and current levels of investment.
The report examines the full economics of national, cross-platform TV currency measurement, including the costs of panels, big data integrations, accreditation, and ongoing operations. The analysis estimates that an entry-level currency solution requires annual revenues of approximately $135–140 million to be sustainable, while a fully competitive offering may require closer to $250 million per year.
While the study finds that more than one national currency provider should be commercially viable, it also concludes that sustaining effective competition will require coordinated action by buyers, sellers, and measurement providers to address high fixed costs, operational complexity, and entrenched switching barriers within the current marketplace.
“While barriers to entry for currency-grade measurement remain high, recent developments – such as the availability of large-scale television datasets and third-party calibration panels – have meaningfully lowered costs and shortened payback periods,” said Jon Watts, Managing Director, CIMM. “However, the current distribution of investment does create commercial challenges for providers. As the measurement marketplace evolves, it’s critical that decisions about investment, competition, and standards are grounded in a clear understanding of the underlying economics. CIMM remains committed to fostering collaboration, transparency, and shared understanding across the industry.”
The report outlines several actions that buyers, sellers, and industry bodies can take to support a more resilient and competitive measurement ecosystem, including more intentional management of currency spend, development of shared industry assets to reduce duplicated costs, and renewed emphasis on the commercial value of accreditation and oversight.
“The increasing availability of big data is providing new insights about viewer behavior and advertising effectiveness in a more granular and cost effective manner than was possible just a few years ago,” said Bhatia. “The broad spectrum of industry leaders we spoke with are excited to leverage these insights to develop higher quality content and more efficient advertising campaigns. Having choice does tend to drive costs down in the long run.”
This study reflects the independent views and analysis of its authors and does not represent the official positions of CIMM or any individual member organization.
- To download the full report, visit: Funding the Fiesta: The Economics of National TV Currency in the US Market.
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.
