ABC to manage viewability principles following the merger of TAG and JICWEBS
Following the merger of TAG and JICWEBS, Joint Industry Currency (JIC) ABC will manage the UK’s Viewability and AV (Audio Visual) Standards after playing an integral role in their development.
JICWEB’s Board (comprising the IPA, ISBA, AOP and IAB UK) made the decision to pass these Standards to ABC who, drawing from their experience as the UK JIC for census data and the industry owned auditor, will lead their ongoing development in consultation with the wider industry.
ABC has worked closely with JICWEBS in developing the viewability principles since their initial creation in 2013. ABC’s most recent work with these principles has been to develop mobile web and In-app viewability testing, enabling products to become certified for reporting viewable content in both desktop and mobile environments.
In addition, ABC will now oversee the AV (Audio Visual) metrics it first helped to develop over a decade ago. These robust industry standards form the basis of the census based data audits it has carried out for many years on behalf of BARB, the JIC responsible for delivering the UK’s television audience measurement currency.
Belinda Beeftink, Research Director at the IPA and a former JICWEBS Board member, said, “ABC has long played an integral role in helping the industry to achieve a more transparent digital trading environment. We fully support them in facilitating the continued development of these important principles, helping to deliver tangible insights and trusted guidance around online trading decisions.”
Richard Reeves, Managing Director for the Association of Online Publishing (AOP) and a former JICWEBS Board member, said, “The JICWEBS Board was pleased to be able to pass these important principles to an organisation with such a wealth of experience in the field. ABC are experts in consulting on and evolving industry Standards and I have no doubt the ongoing development of these principles is in safe hands.”
Simon Redlich, Chief Executive at ABC, said, “We’re pleased to be managing these important Standards on behalf of the industry. They stand as clear benchmarks of good practice and have been the basis of our viewability and AV audit tests over many years. We look forward to facilitating discussions on future developments to best meet the industry’s needs.”
ABC releases data for the UK media industry to use when trading print, digital and event advertising. It is a leading industry-owned auditor for media products and services, with specialist skills in digital ad trading.