ISpot gets full JIC currency certification including demos and exact spot TV measures

ISpot.tv has gotten full certification from the U.S. Joint Industry Committee, which determined the measurement company is ready to be used as currency for age-gender person-level demographics, households and advanced audiences. The certification follows the provisional certification that iSpot received last year and full certification in April for rivals Comscore and VideoAmp. Unlike with Comscore and VideoAmp, the majority vote by the JIC, made up primarily of network media and ad agency executives, came without reservations about the stability of iSpot’s data or its readiness for person-level demographics. Check out the latest Ad Age events and award programs The JIC vote followed more than 270 tests and covers currency measurement both on average commercial minutes (the measure largely used for upfront deals now) and exact spot measurement. It covers iSpot’s recently launched methodology iSpot Data Connect and certifies that it met baseline requirements for transparency, completeness, methodology checks and stability of data. Recent news: Why TV upfront ad deals still trade on Nielsen While iSpot has the same certification as Comscore and VideoAmp, it came without the same official reservations. In announcing those certifications in April, the JIC announced that each of those two companies would need to make improvements to be “transactable at scale for cross-platform personified demos” (such as age and gender), which is “a core requirement outlined by media buyers.” That brings three currency providers the JIC has certified. Industry heavyweight Nielsen has yet to apply for certification by the group. Among other things, Nielsen has demanded that only services accredited by the industry’s primary quality arbiter, the Media Rating Council, be considered for certification. Media measurement blog Tracking TV, social and digital updates Click here The JIC requires that certified companies be working to get MRC accreditation but not that they achieve it. ISpot has MRC accreditation for its ad catalog and has begun an audit for its measurement, according to CEO SEan Muller. Comscore has household-level MRC accreditation, and VideoAmp has been in pre-audit discussions with the MRC. “We're proud of the fact that we built a measurement system that has passed every single test here, which is not easy to do,” Muller said. “It marks the first time any big-data-led system has been certified for person level." Look back: Top Nielsen competitors and where they stand in 2024 JIC certification and MRC accreditation are different processes. One purpose of the JIC’s certification process is to qualify companies for use of the JIC streaming data server, which is being developed to amalgamate data from participating media companies in a clean room environment. “We applaud iSpot, as well as all of our measurement partners, for their commitment and tireless effort building for the future,” said Travis Scoles, executive VP of advanced advertising at Paramount Global and chairman of the JIC board of directors, in a statement. While the JIC has many media members, it has yet to get such major players as Google (YouTube), Amazon, The Walt Diisney Co. and Netflix on board.

ISpot gets full JIC currency certification including demos and exact spot TV measures

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