YouTube has been criticised by broadcasters and advertisers after withdrawing from the UK’s main television audience measurement system, just months after agreeing to be measured alongside traditional TV channels and rival streaming platforms.
The move follows legal action by YouTube’s owner, Google, which sent cease-and-desist letters to Barb and its research partner Kantar Media, blocking access to data used to attribute viewing sessions to individual content creators.
The decision came after Barb began including viewing figures for around 200 YouTube channels watched on TV sets, allowing direct comparison with broadcasters such as BBC, ITV, Sky and Channel 4, as well as streamers including Netflix.
According to reports, Google cited a breach of its terms of service as the reason for blocking access, arguing that the measurement process involved the use of creator content in ways not permitted under its application programming interface rules.
Industry figures said the move undermined YouTube’s efforts to position itself as a television-equivalent platform for advertisers.
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