Barb has appointed Kantar, the current holder of the audience measurement contract, to install new TV metering technology into its UK home panel, increasing from 5,150 to 7,000 households, the largest increase in reporting sample since Barb launched in 1981.

The new meter, a tablet device, includes an avatar-based registration system. It will be used in addition to other meters attached to WiFi routers to measure how panellists watch streaming services.

Barb has also re-appointed Kantar to continue collecting census-level data on broadcast viewing on demand (BVOD) services.

RSMB has been retained for survey design and methodology.

Barb extended the tender process by a year in 2020 due to practical questions over data collection raised by Covid-19. The new research contracts, initially set to start in 2023, will now begin in 2024 and last until the end of 2029. 

Barb has also extended Ipsos Mori’s contract to conduct its establishment survey, which includes recruiting homes to its panel of UK homes, for a further two years until the end of 2023. This contract was not included in the tender process. 

Kantar also conducts Dovetail fusion data integration for Barb, while MetaBroadcast holds the contract for the content identification system.

Justin Sampson, chief executive, Barb, said: “We are delighted to commit to a step-change in the size of our representative panel of UK homes as a result of operational improvements put forward by Kantar and RSMB during a rigorous tender process. Their experience of working with all of our industry stakeholders will ensure service enhancements are delivered while we maintain our reliable and robust daily reporting of television audiences.”

This year, Barb plans to launch audience figures for SVOD services and video-sharing platforms, with content ratings and aggregate-level viewing for streaming services including Netflix and Amazon Prime Video.