Advanced Television

BARB

Barb appoints Baxter as Chief Executive

Barb, the UK audience measurement specialist, has announced that Caroline Baxter has been appointed as Chief Executive. Baxter’s appointment comes as the company is on the verge of another wave of innovation designed to ensure the measurement and reporting of audiences to linear, streaming and video-sharing services is fit for the future. Since joining Barb […]

March 12, 2026

Barb adds pre-campaign planning to Barb Ads Hub

Barb, the UK audience measurement specialist, has added pre-campaign planning functionality to Barb Ads Hub, its new analytics system for full-cycle ad campaign planning and reporting. The inclusion of pre-campaign planning means Barb Ads Hub is now the single port of call for all UK advertising buyers and sellers’ pre- and post-campaign planning needs. Users […]

March 9, 2026

Barb: Live TV viewing remains substantial in UK

Barb, the audience measurement specialist, has published a first-time report entitled What People Watched in 2025. The report explores how people in the UK watched their favourite television show last year. It covers live and on-demand, linear and streaming viewing for broadcasters, streamers and video-sharing platforms. The findings include: Live viewing remains a substantial part […]

February 19, 2026

Barb: Nearly 61% of UK homes have Netflix

Barb, the audience measurement specialist, has released data from its Establishment Survey showing that 20.6 million UK homes (69.7 per cent) had access to at least one SVoD service in Q4 2025. This is slightly up from 20.5 million UK homes in Q3 2025. The service-level subscriptions data are as follows: Netflix: 18 million UK […]

February 5, 2026By Nik Roseveare

Google forces YouTube UK ratings shutdown

Google has forced UK television measurement providers Barb and Kantar Media to suspend their “landmark service” that compares viewership on its video portal YouTube with other TV channels and streamers. The FT has reported that Google sent a legal ‘cease and desist’ letter to Kantar Media just months after it launched in July 2025, stopping […]

January 28, 2026

Barb launches Barb Ads Hub

Barb, the audience measurement specialist, has launched Barb Ads Hub, a new analytics system designed for full-cycle ad campaign planning and reporting. At launch, Barb Ads Hub includes post-campaign analysis through CFlight, the joint-industry accountability tool for linear and VOD services. Pre-campaign planning functionality will follow in Q1. Built by RSMB for Barb in direct […]

January 27, 2026

Barb appoints RSMB to deliver third phase of API

Barb, the audience management specialist, has appointed RSMB to deliver the third phase of its API. Barb said API 3.0 is a crucial element of its data-distribution strategy, devised to meet the industry’s desire for more choice in how they ingest Barb data into their own business systems. RSMB will be tasked with developing a […]

January 20, 2026

Channel 4 “fastest-growing major streamer among adults”

Channel 4 has reported that it “led the way” in converting youth audiences to streaming in 2025, while growth among adults outpaced the biggest streaming platforms in the UK. Channel 4’s 16-34 viewers streamed 53 per cent of their overall Channel 4 viewing across 2025 – the first time a major commercial broadcaster has passed […]

January 16, 2026

Barb awards new contracts to NatCen, RSMB, Ipsos

Barb, the UK TV measurement body, has appointed three agencies following a recent tender. NatCen and RSMB will deliver its Establishment Survey and Ipsos will deliver its panel top-up recruitment. The new contracts will run from 2027-2029. Barb’s Establishment Survey is a keycomponent of the UK industry’s standard for understanding what people watch. It is […]

January 13, 2026

Barb launches the Barb Data Hub

Barb, the UK TV measurement body, has launched the Barb Data Hub, a new cloud-based system for storing, processing and distributing Barb viewing data to the industry. The Barb Data Hub is an overhaul in the underlying infrastructure for storing, processing and distributing Barb data. All the calculations required to create Barb’s DB2 daily viewing […]

December 8, 2025