Executive Summary

Changes in how consumers view video content have made audience and advertising measurement more difficult. With the TV industry facing significant disruption, marketers are grappling with how to adjust to an ever-fragmenting landscape.

How is the coronavirus pandemic affecting TV and digital video advertising?

Although people are spending more time watching TV and streaming services, advertisers are cutting their budgets, which will lead to reduced TV ad spending.

What market forces are driving new TV measurement initiatives?

There are several. Digitally native companies are investing more in TV ads, and they are more adamant about proving ROI in campaign goals. TV networks have made advertising more targetable to attract new clients. To make it easier for marketers to include TV in multimedia campaigns, TV ad sellers have created more advanced audience segments sold on impressions instead of traditional ratings and sold campaigns tied to business outcomes.

What are the main challenges with cross-platform video measurement?

The lack of standard measurements across platforms, data-sharing limitations and the difficulty in tracking viewing behaviors in ad-free services are some of the many challenges in this area.

How can marketers make progress in this complicated space?

Marketers should take care to be strict about their KPIs, keep measurements simple where possible, harmonize data from different sources and make incremental improvements instead of trying to tackle everything at once.

WHAT’S IN THIS REPORT? This report examines trends, data and strategies related to how marketers are measuring TV and digital video.

KEY STAT: In a November 2019 poll by Advertiser Perceptions, 57% of US marketers said that a lack of standard measurement was a leading challenge to cross-screen video advertising.