Ipsos iris integrates YouTube CTV audience data in Australian digital measurement

Ipsos, in collaboration with Google and IAB Australia, last week announced a significant enhancement to the Ipsos iris digital audience measurement currency. This update integrates YouTube connected TV (CTV) audience reach and watch time data, marking a pivotal moment in cross-screen digital measurement for the Australian market.

Ipsos iris, which has been Australia's official online audience measurement solution since January 2023, now provides a more comprehensive view of digital consumer behavior across multiple devices. This development follows the March 2024 release of YouTube video audience and watch time data for mobile, desktop, and tablet platforms.

The inclusion of YouTube CTV audience data in Ipsos iris represents a first for markets outside the United States. This integration allows Australian media owners, agencies, and advertisers to access a complete picture of YouTube audiences across personal and household devices. Such comprehensive data enables more accurate analysis and informed content strategy development.

According to Simon Wake, Ipsos Australia CEO, this enhancement not only improves the robustness of the Ipsos iris platform but also offers subscribers a holistic view of digital video consumption. The expanded dataset now includes OzTAM Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) and tagged websites, providing a more complete picture of the digital landscape.

The importance of this development is underscored by the growing significance of YouTube in the Australian market. Caroline Oates, Head of YouTube Advertising AUNZ, revealed that YouTube reaches more than 97% of the Australian adult online population across all devices. Specifically, in June 2024, YouTube reached 14.8 million Australians aged 18 and over on connected TV alone.

This expansion of Ipsos iris's capabilities aligns with the evolving needs of the media industry. By providing a unified view of digital media consumption across platforms, it enables more effective planning, buying, and selling of media in an increasingly complex, multi-platform environment.

The collaboration between Ipsos, Google, and IAB Australia demonstrates a commitment to innovation in digital audience measurement. Gai Le Roy, IAB Australia CEO, emphasized that this development positions Australia as a leader in collaborative digital audience measurement, providing the market with credible and comparable data across digital screens.

Ipsos iris's methodology involves a single-source, multi-device panel that measures activity across smartphones, PCs, laptops, and tablets. This approach allows for accurate cross-device deduplication, which has been a significant challenge in digital audience measurement. The panel consists of 8,000 devices, providing a representative sample of the Australian population aged 14 and over.

The January 2023 data from Ipsos iris revealed that Australians spent an average of 107 hours online across PC/laptop, smartphone, and tablet devices. Smartphones led digital consumption, with 19.2 million Australians spending an average of 82 hours online. PC/laptops were used by 14.1 million Australians for an average of 32 minutes online, while 3.6 million accessed the internet via tablets for an average of 61 hours.

In terms of demographics, the 25-39 age group remains the largest online audience, representing 26% of the total. However, the 55-64 age group spent the highest average time online, clocking in at 116 hours in January 2023.

The most popular online categories by total audience size in January 2023 included:

1. Social networking (20.9 million users)
2. Search (20.9 million users)
3. Technology (20.8 million users)
4. Retail & commerce (20.6 million users)
5. Entertainment (20.5 million users)

News consumption also showed significant engagement, with 20.3 million Australians spending an average of more than six hours visiting online news sites and apps in January. This figure increased to 11 hours among those aged 55-64.

The integration of YouTube CTV audience data into Ipsos iris offers several benefits to the industry:

1. Improved accuracy: By including CTV data, the measurement provides a more accurate representation of total YouTube viewership.
2. Cross-platform insights: Media planners can now analyze audience behavior across multiple devices in a single, consolidated space.
3. Uniform demographics: The data is reported against consistent demographic profiles, allowing for better comparison and analysis.
4. Enhanced content strategy: Publishers and broadcasters can use this comprehensive data to inform and refine their content strategies for YouTube.
5. Comparable metrics: The inclusion of YouTube data alongside other digital platforms allows for more meaningful comparisons across different media types.

As part of this enhancement, Ipsos iris will break out YouTube measurement and report against over 500 audience attributes. This granular level of detail provides deeper insights into viewer behavior and preferences.

The Ipsos iris panel recruitment process involves several steps to ensure a representative sample:

1. Potential panelists answer eligibility questions.
2. Qualified individuals download the Ipsos app or software onto their devices.
3. Panelists complete a short questionnaire about themselves, their household, and internet activity.

To incentivize participation, Ipsos offers a tiered reward system:

• A one-time $20 joining bonus after the first full qualifying month.
• Monthly rewards ranging from $15 to $30, depending on the number of devices providing data.
• Potential to earn up to $380 in one year for participants with three or more active devices.

Key facts

• Announcement date: August 21, 2024
• Ipsos iris launch date as official currency: January 2023
• YouTube reach across all devices: Over 97% of Australian adult online population
• YouTube CTV reach in June 2024: 14.8 million Australians (18+)
• Average online time in January 2023: 107 hours per person
• Largest online age group: 25-39 years (26% share)
• Highest average time spent online: 55-64 age group (116 hours in January 2023)
• Top online categories: Social networking, search, technology, retail & commerce, entertainment
• News consumption: 20.3 million Australians, averaging 6+ hours in January 2023