Kantar Media Wins Dutch Video Audience Work

Netherlands audience measurement association SKO has announced a new contract with Kantar Media Audiences, allowing the measurement of commercials on a wide range of digital platforms and establishing 'a marketwide, transparent, manageable standard'.

SKO provides the country's official television audience figures used by advertisers and broadcasters. It already works with comScore and GfK to report on audiences for content delivered by Dutch broadcasters RTL, NPO and SBS; and says other broadcasters will shortly be added, as will non-broadcasters.

The first data from the new arrangement is expected in the third quarter of 2014, with full implementation by next January. Kantar Media Audiences will measure all online video campaigns planned by affiliated bureaus and publishers, complying with SKO's use of the VAST template for video ad information exchange. This 'census data' will become part of the online video currency, says SKO, but will also be supplied to the market separately.

SKO Director Bas de Vos says the project is 'an all-important next step in the measurement of relevant parts of video viewing behaviour in The Netherlands', and adds: 'It goes without saying that reliable data about Online Commercials play a crucial role in our measurement efforts.' Oliver Pischke, Global Digital Director at Kantar Media Audiences, comments: 'We are delighted that SKO recognizes our technology and expertise and look forward to deploying it further in pursuit of measurement of total viewing behavior in the Netherlands.'

SKO says a number of other independent projects will be announced in 2014, probably next month, all geared towards its goal of realising 'a total measurement of all the viewing behaviour in The Netherlands'.

The organisation is online at www.kijkonderzoek.nl .