Google has handed Barb and Kantar Media a cease-and-desist letter over YouTube viewer measurement data.
Barb is an industry body that measures YouTube’s audience views on TVs as well as traditional broadcast channels and streaming services such as Channel 4, ITV and Netflix. While Kantar Media is a market research firm.
The tech giant has accused the pair of breaching its terms of service by accessing data to attribute viewing sessions for content creators.
A YouTube spokesperson said: “YouTube has a long track record of providing access to third parties for research and reporting, and all third parties must respect the necessary terms of service and policies when using our API.
“While the vast majority of our partners, companies and creators adhere to these guidelines, we will take action when these terms are violated, as was the case here.”
Barb, in partnership with Kantar Media, first reported TV set viewings across 200 most-watched YouTube channels in July last year.
The specific channels included kids’ content such as Peppa Pig and Bluey; sports like FIFA and WWE; news and entertainment shows such as Fox News, Doctor Who and Warner Bros; and popular YouTubers like MrBeast and Sidemen.
Both Barb and Kantar Media have confirmed the service has been paused and they are working with Google on a resolution.
The move has sparked criticism from industry bodies. Linsey Clay, CEO, Thinkbox, said: “It does seem odd that YouTube has spent so much effort trying to convince advertisers that it is TV and so gain the benefits of that reputation, but the moment there’s some TV-like scrutiny, it goes legal to avoid it. If they want to be treated like TV, they need to be transparent.”
The development may provide further food for thought for betting marketers who use YouTube as an advertising channel, following the latest update to Google’s community guidelines around gambling advertising on the video sharing platform late last year.
Google has handed Barb and Kantar Media a cease-and-desist letter over YouTube viewer measurement data. Barb is an industry body that measures YouTube’s audience views on TVs as well as traditional broadcast channels and streaming services such as Channel 4, ITV and Netflix. While Kantar Media is a market research firm. The tech giant has