The MRC has issued draft guidelines for our of home measurement. See press release below. Billboard Insider asked IBOUSA General Partner Chris Cowlbeck what this means for independent out of home companies and he said this: “The MRC team has engaged tirelessly for over a half decade to get the complex OOH measurement nuances into a standards format that will be able to demystify the complexity of the traffic metrics that independents rely upon for our sales and payments. Soon the chapter will open where data providers present their proprietary processes to the rigor of auditors who keep the best interests of buyers and sellers in check. As these processes mature in the months to come, the results will enable brands and their buyers/agencies to more strongly and confidently allocate budget to OOH, whetger nationally, regionally or locally. In a nutshell, independents will be able to find confidence in data and realize its affordability to drive new revenues.”
New York, NY (July 28, 2025) – The Media Rating Council (MRC) today issued a draft document outlining requirements, guidance and best practices for measurement of Out-of-Home (OOH) Audience.
This document represents the second phase of Standards for the measurement of OOH intended to foster a common core of metrics that can be applied across the full expanse of out-of-home media, as well as provide for comparability to other measured media.
Phase 2 is focused on the detail as to what is necessary to qualify a reported statistic as audience. The first phase release (published final April 2024; Phase 1) addressed Standards applicable to several of the underlying components necessary to establish a qualified OOH measurement metric, and purposely omitted audience requirements.
Phase 2 serves as a supplement to Phase 1, which can be found here:
Among the most important issues and requirements this public comment draft addresses are:
- The evidence of Likelihood to See (LTS) required for Audience qualification such as considerations in the following areas:
- Size of the asset (minimum apparent size)
- Environmental and visual obstruction
- Presence of audio
- Precise location of the asset
- Dynamic nature of the asset
- Visual clutter
- Visual attractiveness
- Illumination and seasonality
- Exposure time
- Speed, direction and mode of travel
- Audience characteristics
- Requirements for use of LTS thresholds
- Deterministic data use requirements including:
- Representative nature of data
- Robust and sufficient coverage
- Recency and staleness policies
- Granularity
- Empirical support requirements
- Quality control over data sources
- Model selection and support
- Disclosures
After the 30-day public comment period, during which comments on the draft will be accepted and considered, MRC will issue a final draft. Once finalized, Phase 2 will be combined with Phase 1 in one unified document, but MRC is only calling for comments on the Phase 2 draft at this time.
The draft is available here:
Comments on the draft, which will be accepted through Wednesday, August 27, 2025, can be submitted via email to MRC at rpinelli@mediaratingcouncil.org.
About MRC
The Media Rating Council is a non-profit industry association established in 1963 comprised of leading television, radio, print and digital media companies, as well as advertisers, advertising agencies and trade associations, whose goal is to ensure measurement services that are valid, reliable and effective. Measurement services desiring MRC accreditation are required to disclose to their customers all methodological aspects of their service; comply with the MRC Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research as well as other applicable industry measurement guidelines; and submit to MRC-designed audits to authenticate and illuminate their procedures. In addition, the MRC membership actively pursues research issues they consider priorities in an effort to improve the quality of research in the marketplace. Currently approximately 110 research products are audited by the MRC. Additional information about MRC can be found at www.mediaratingcouncil.org.
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