JICIMS Back as UK Online Measurement Company

In the UK, the former Joint Industry Committee for Internet Measurement Systems (JICIMS) is to be re-launched as the UK Online Measurement (UKOM) company, following recent news that its original stakeholders had withdrawn financial support.

Last week, industry bodies AOP, IAB, IPA and ISBA confirmed that they were unable to find the estimated £15m required to drive the establishment of an industry-approved online audience measurement system.

However, the IAB (Internet Advertising Bureau) and the AOP (Association of Online Publishers) have now stepped in to support the initiative, which will be run in response to the needs of advertisers, media agencies and online media owners.

Bill Murray, the AOP Board Member responsible for UKOM representation, said: 'The speed with which we have brought the revised operation to life, and shared the ambitious timetable we aim to meet, is demonstration of our determination to deliver the immense value and benefit of a unified Internet measurement and planning currency to UK media as soon as possible during 2009.'

The UKOM team is also tasked with ensuring the approved solution is compatible with the existing online population survey, which JICIMS launched in 2006.

'We can't lose sight of the fact that this medium will benefit from agreed planning data,' UKOM General Manager Peter Bowman explained. 'After so much emphasis on structure and funding, we can now get down to the important business of supplying that data.'

Web sites: www.jicims.org.uk , www.iabuk.net and www.ukaop.org.uk .