Ipsos iris, the digital audience measurement currency endorsed by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), is set to expand its capabilities into video measurement with the integration of YouTube viewing data.

The move follows a collaboration between Google and IAB Australia, and is aimed at providing media owners, agencies, and advertisers with enhanced capabilities to analyse media content across key platforms in a consolidated space.

Since January 2023, Ipsos iris has been Australia's go-to solution for online audience measurement. The addition of YouTube's Connected TV (CTV) audiences is slated for launch in the second half of 2024. This new feature will provide a more comprehensive view of digital video consumption, offering insights against uniform demographics.

"We are thrilled to bring YouTube's rich data into Ipsos iris," said Ipsos Australia CEO, Simon Wake. "The inclusion of video views and watch time for YouTube content not only enhances the robustness of our platform but also provides our subscribers with a holistic view of digital video consumption that now includes OzTAM BVOD and tagged websites. This partnership asserts our commitment to delivering market-leading measurement solutions."

The expansion of Ipsos iris' video reporting capabilities to include YouTube underscores the company's dedication to innovation and meeting the evolving needs of the industry. As an independent source of truth for the media industry, Ipsos iris provides a level playing field for the comparison of audience reach and characteristics, supporting the $14.7 billion Australian online advertising market.

The solution offers accuracy in solving cross-device duplication, one of the biggest challenges in measuring online audiences, using a single-source multi-device panel measuring activity on 8,000 smartphones, PCs, laptops, and tablet devices.

In February 2024, the CTV audience currency integration from a data partnership with OzTAM launched, providing total unduplicated digital audience currency data for CTV, smartphones, tablets, and computers.

"The IAB is pleased that the integration of YouTube data into the IAB Australia-endorsed Ipsos iris has enabled enhanced video metrics for advertisers’ and agencies’ digital campaign planning and ways to evaluate video audiences consistently across media," said IAB Australia CEO, Gai Le Roy. "This development is an important step in our quest to define the full Australian digital video viewing landscape across all screens within a trusted system, adhering to common standards for robustness and transparency."

Head of YouTube Advertising AUNZ, Caroline Oates, said: "At YouTube, we firmly believe that independent, transparent and privacy centric measurement helps the industry navigate an increasingly fragmented media landscape. With this in mind, we are excited to be partnering with Ipsos to drive a greater understanding of the extent and role of YouTube viewership across mobile, desktop and tablet. We look forward to supporting continued innovation as we provide partners a more complete picture of online video consumption across screens and platforms."