BARB Integrates with IPA TouchPoints

UK television audience measurement body BARB has 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.

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 broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) services by BARB-reported channels. TouchPoints is an IPA solution (Institute of Practitioners in Advertising) offering access to a cross-media, cross-device usage database giving an annual view of where, when and in what mood people consume media in Britain.

With the new deal, BARB's daily audience data can now be analysed by IPA TouchPoints classifications. The partners say this enables media agencies to use the latter's audiences to build their TV plans; broadcasters' sales teams to build improved solutions based on IPA TouchPoints data, including other media usage; and helps broadcasters with their scheduling and promotions planning.

BARB CEO Justin Sampson says the new initiative creates an extensive range of target audiences that IPA TouchPoints subscribers can use to plan and account for their investment in television commercials and programmes. Belinda Beeftink, Research Director at the IPA, adds: 'For many years the TouchPoints Channel Planner has integrated the industry media currencies, including BARB, into an analytics tool that supports cross-media planning and buying. We're now delighted to deepen our links with BARB by integrating our audience classifications into its daily reporting of television audiences. This means agency planners can build even better TV plans based on TouchPoints' wide range of classifications'.

Web sites: www.barb.co.uk and www.ipa.co.uk .