BARB Pilots Broadcast Video-On-Demand Planner

UK television audience measurement body BARB has launched the beta version of a BVOD planner (broadcast video-on-demand), to help agencies and advertisers plan campaigns across BARB-reported commercial broadcasters' linear channels and VOD platforms.

BARB (the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) provides official viewing figures for UK television audiences, collecting observational data on how people watch TV programmes on different devices from a nationally representative panel. It also collects census-level data for viewing on tablets, PCs and smartphones using software embedded in BVOD services by BARB-reported channels. Earlier this year, the body combined its daily audience data with the IPA's TouchPoints survey, to help media owners, clients and agencies understand more about viewers through a wider range of behavioural definitions.

The new planner incorporates BARB's panel and census data, alongside BVOD and smartphone viewing data collected by IPA TouchPoints, and ad impressions data provided by broadcasters. The combination promises agencies and advertisers the ability to forecast the reach and frequency delivered by ad campaigns on BARB-reported commercial BVOD services over multiple screens (TV sets, PCs, tablets and smartphones) - analysing either against specified target audiences or by service. The tool can be used to plan standalone BVOD campaigns, or in conjunction with a linear advertising campaign.

CEO Justin Sampson says of the pilot: 'Assessing the performance of television campaigns across linear channels and BVOD services is critical for buyers and sellers of advertising. Our beta BVOD planner provides valuable guidance on how BVOD campaigns can extend the reach of linear advertising campaigns, and does so because it relies primarily on independently-specified and collected data sources'.

Web site: www.barb.co.uk .