Google's YouTube has prompted a pause in a UK measurement initiative after sending a legal notice to one of the partners involved, according to industry accounts. The move has forced Barb and Kantar to suspend a service that sought to place YouTube channel viewing on TV sets into the same methodological framework used for linear television and other streaming platforms.
People familiar with the matter told reporters that the U.S. technology company delivered a cease and desist letter to Kantar months after the service launched last summer. The letter alleged that the measurement offering contravened Google’s terms of service by tapping information that enabled attribution of viewing sessions to particular content creators.
Barb - the organisation that functions as the UK industry standard for television audience measurement - had announced a partnership with Kantar Media last year. The collaborators described their effort as a "landmark initiative" aimed at expanding measurement to include YouTube content watched on television sets. The objective was to produce comparable metrics across YouTube channels, linear TV and streaming platforms by applying an identical methodology to independently collected data.
Following the legal action from YouTube, the measurement service has been suspended, the accounts said. The suspension stops the initiative from producing ongoing comparative audience data while the dispute is unresolved.
Context and implications
Industry measurement serves as a foundation for advertising planning, commercial negotiations and cross-platform audience comparisons. The paused service represented an attempt to fold YouTube viewing on TVs into the same independent measurement approaches traditionally used for broadcasters and other streamers. The reported legal objection from YouTube centers on how the service accessed or used data that Google regards as restricted under its terms.
What is known
- Google sent a legal cease and desist to Kantar regarding the measurement service months after its launch last summer.
- The letter contended that the service breached Google’s terms of service by accessing data that could attribute viewing sessions to specific creators.
- Barb and Kantar had marketed the collaboration as a landmark expansion to measure YouTube content on TV sets in a manner comparable to linear TV and streaming platforms; the service is now suspended.
Limitations
Public accounts limit detail on the exact technical methods at issue and on any next steps between the parties. The suspension is reported to have taken effect after the legal notice, but there is no available information in these accounts about further negotiations or potential remedies.