Ipsos will run Integrated Video Audience Measurement (IVAM), which will combine individual-level panel measurement, digital viewing intelligence and large-scale data sets to create Saudi Arabia’s first unified, cross-platform audience measurement currency for television and video.

The initiative will also use capabilities from RealityMine and Fifty5Blue, and will seek to capture viewing across screens, platforms and locations, both in-home and out-of-home.

Ipsos will lead technical delivery, using its MediaCell technology through smartphones to capture viewing in and out of home across a panel of 1,000 people.

RealityMine’s RealityMeter tool will measure video consumption through websites and apps, while Fifty5Blue will help integrate large-scale data sets and panel data.

MRC has also brought in TechEdge, Fifty5Blue’s software and audience analytics platform, to provide the software to extract value from the data.

Eng. Bandar AlMashhadi, chief executive at MRC, said: “At MRC, our ambition is to advance audience measurement through a robust, transparent and future-ready currency that reflects the realities of today’s viewing behaviour while anticipating the needs of tomorrow.

“This new generation of Integrated Video Audience Measurement establishes an essential foundation for the media industry as a whole in the kingdom, providing the industry with a more comprehensive understanding of audiences and the insights needed to make informed decisions, invest with greater confidence and support continued growth across Saudi Arabia’s media ecosystem.”

Ziad Issa, chief executive officer media at Ipsos in Middle East and North Africa, added: “At Ipsos, we are incredibly proud to be partnering with MRC and the Saudi media industry on such an ambitious and transformative project.

“The way people watch TV and video has changed dramatically, and audience measurement needs to keep pace.”