Since 2021, Barb has reported on how people use a TV set to watch YouTube content distributed by TV companies.

Barb is now selecting 200 YouTube channels that will become part of its daily audience reporting, in partnership with SeeViews, a business that specialises in planning advertising campaigns on YouTube.

The selection process for channels is primarily based on volumes of viewing and will categorise channels by type of content creator. All channels chosen for reporting will meet industry standards for brand safety.

Barb plans to add viewing of content on the chosen 200 YouTube channels as part of its daily audience reporting in the third quarter of 2025.

Kantar Media will use audio-matching automatic content recognition (ACR) – the method it uses to identify programme viewing on linear channels and video on-demand streaming services – to identify when the channels are watched by Barb panel members on TV sets.

ACR uses URL detection via router meters installed in Barb panel homes and relies on access to the audio output of devices, which is only possible on TV sets.

The commissioning of the initiative follows a proof-of-concept pilot run by Kantar Media for Barb in November 2024, which tracked viewing of 175 videos from 12 YouTube channels, featuring children’s content, celebrity ‘YouTubers’ and music videos. The pilot found that the methodology can be used to identify how people in Barb panel homes watch content on the channels chosen for the test.

Justin Sampson, chief executive at Barb said: “We’re now starting to deliver on a commitment to report more of the content people watch on YouTube. This commitment came off the back of an industry consultation which established a buy-side consensus on the need for transparent reporting of content with contextual indicators of quality.

“Our new data on the content people are watching on YouTube will meet several needs across our industry. Advertisers and media agencies are looking for more insight into the most-watched editorial environments on YouTube, while programme-makers use our data to inform the commissioning process. We also anticipate the data will be of interest to those working in industry regulation.”

Lucy Bristowe, chief executive UK and Western Europe at Kantar Media, said: “YouTube viewing on the TV set increased by 31% in the UK in 2024. This new initiative, underpinned by our audio-matching technology, will help the industry to understand the growth of YouTube within the context of an increasingly fragmented viewing landscape.”