The Joint Industry Committee certifies iSpot, completing its Nielsen-alternative trifecta

The news: The Joint Industry Committee (JIC), a consortium of TV networks and streaming services working to create digital video advertising standards, has fully certified iSpot for age-gender person-level demographics.

• This follows the group’s conditional certification of iSpot, Comscore, and VideoAmp last fall. Comscore and VideoAmp were awarded certification in April.

Steps forward: The JIC’s certification of iSpot marks the final certification of the three major measurement currencies used by the committee’s members on their own services.

• Comscore and VideoAmp received full certification with recommendations for improvement, but the iSpot certification came without such caveats, a sign that the JIC’s members are more united front and have increased faith in alternative measurement solutions. ISpot is a partner of NBCUniversal and other major TV networks and streamers.

Yes, but: While the certification of three major currencies is a major advancement for the JIC and the measurement firms, the ad industry has yet to fully embrace alternative currencies.

• TV networks and streamers adopted their own measurement partnerships after Nielsen lost its Media Ratings Council (MRC) accreditation for panel measurement in 2021 (it has since been reinstated). That blow led to speculation that Nielsen would lose its place at the top of the measurement industry, especially as more viewers switched to digital channels.
• But the Nielsen exodus has yet to happen. Despite several Upfront periods with alternative currencies on the market, change-averse advertisers have been hesitant to adopt measurements from Nielsen competitors. Nielsen has demanded that only currencies the MRC certifies should be certified by the JIC.
• However, interest in non-Nielsen currencies is growing. ISpot’s 2024 Upfront survey found that only 27% of advertisers said they had “no interest” in Nielsen alternatives, down from 31% in 2023.

Our take: Major challenges still stand before the JIC’s effort to transition to non-Nielsen currencies, like the fact that YouTube still is not a member. But iSpot’s hitch-less certification could accelerate adoption of alternatives, making 2025 Upfronts one to watch closely.