Advertisement: Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Google join Audicom for audience measurement

A new phase is beginning for Audicom – one from which there is no turning back. And marking this shift are names that, on their own, illustrate just how much the media market has changed: Netflix, Amazon, Disney and Google-YouTube. These companies are joining the governance of the new Joint Industry Committee (JIC), created to provide the market with integrated research on web browsing and print readership of publishers’ brands. The platforms are joining the fray via the Anitec-Assinform association, which has become a member alongside Upa, Una, Fedoweb, Fieg and Auditel (with a minimal presence). Admittedly, the picture is not yet complete. Giants such as Meta and TikTok are still missing from the line-up. But the direction has been set: to achieve an increasingly comprehensive, certified and shared measurement system, capable of bringing worlds that have for years run on parallel tracks onto the same playing field. This is far from a purely technical endeavour, because determining the value of audiences also means determining where and how advertising investment is channelled.

Yesterday’s extraordinary general meeting approved the capital increase and the new articles of association, and appointed the board of directors. Anitec-Assinform will hold 16.61 per cent, on a par with Fedoweb and Fieg. Upa and Una will each retain 24.92 per cent. Auditel retains its 0.33 per cent stake. The result is an exceptionally large board of 38 members, designed to balance the influence of the various market players. Marco Travaglia, representing Upa, has been confirmed as chairman. The vice-chairpersons are Letizia Pizzi (Anitec-Assinform), Pier Paolo Cervi (Fedoweb), Uberto Fornara (Fieg) and Marco Girelli (Una).

“With the entry of Anitec-Assinform, Audicom is the first of the European JICs to formally open up its governance to representation from digital platforms. This is a historic step, which strengthens the system’s ability to reflect market developments and lays the foundations for certified measurement that is shared and recognised by all its operators,” said Travaglia. The key point, however, is what comes next. The entry of the digital giants paves the way for cross-media measurement, an objective also set out by AGCOM in Resolution 87/26/CONS. To achieve this, server-to-server measurement will need to be integrated with the system previously built using SDKs (ad hoc software that makes measurements census-based).

Massimo Dal Checco, president of Anitec-Assinform, speaks of “the final stretch towards an integrated, cross-media measurement model, in line with the direction set by the Authority”. He adds: “With our members Amazon, Netflix, Google/YouTube and The Walt Disney Company Italia represented on the new Board of Directors, we are bringing to the governance structure the expertise of those who measure digital content consumption on a daily basis. We are ready to work with the other members on the methodologies that will shape the new system.”

The board will take office on 14 September. And, according to Il Sole 24 Ore, the appointment of the chief executive is also expected to be finalised at that meeting, with Alberto Dal Sasso, formerly of Nielsen, tipped to take the role. The matter will then be referred to a technical committee, and work will begin to finalise the new audience measurement system. Provided all goes well, this should be fully operational by October 2027.