Samsung Ads, the advanced-advertising division of smart TV maker Samsung Electronics, said it signed up as a member of the U.S. Joint Industry Committee (JIC) on video audience measurement.
The JIC was originally formed by mostly traditional media companies. Adding Samsung brings a set-maker to the party, which is important because set-makers are getting a bigger share of video ad dollars as marketers shift budgets to connected TV.
Set-makers also control data about TV watching and the JIC aims to organize, standardize and make comparable data available for use in targeting audiences and measuring the reach and effectiveness of campaigns.
“The cross-platform video ecosystem includes numerous parties who both collect and rely on rich data and have a vested interest in connecting viewers with relevant messages that move the needle toward business impact," said Travis Scoles, executive VP of advanced advertising at Paramount and chairman of the JIC Board. "By joining the U.S. Joint Industry Committee, Samsung Ads will serve in a critical leadership position and will help further the JIC’s efforts to work across the industry to accelerate a vision for a more accurate, transparent and modern measurement ecosystem.”
After the JIC was launched, media buyers and measurement companies were brought into the process, which now includes the certification of measurement providers.
“Streaming and digital are now consumers’ viewership model of choice, but the technology that drives audience reach and measurement has not kept pace,” Michael Scott, VP of ad sales & operations at Samsung Ads, said.
“Transparency across platforms is increasing and the industry is evolving to better understand the relationship between a brand and its consumers to generate better scale, reach, and measurement,” Scott said. “At Samsung, we’re working more closely with our advertiser, agency, and committee partners to address these challenges. The JIC is an important industry effort to help drive more collaboration and innovation across multiple parties.”
In April, the JIC certified that data from Comscore and VideoAmp were ready to use as currencies for buying and selling video ads. iSpot has resented conditional certification from the JIC.
Nielsen has not participated in the JIC’s process of setting standards and certifying measurement companies.
Among the big media companies, The Walt Disney Co. has been a holdout. With a growing share of addressable and programmatic inventory, Disney believes any measurement process ought to include the digital giants it sees as its competition, including Google, YouTube, Facebook, Amazon and Netflix.
Roku, the leading maker of streaming devices, is participating in the JIC.
