Kantar holds the contract for Barb’s audience measurement panel and data publication. Its broadband router meters will track streaming activity by any member of the panel household, with consent, on any device. The move adds to Kantar’s existing meters on panellists’ TV sets.

The technology, which will be installed into new and existing Barb panel homes from October, will mean Barb is able to distinguish whether post-broadcast viewing was done through a broadcast video on-demand (BVOD) service or playback of a PVR (personal video recorder).

It will also add demographic profiles of smartphone viewing to Barb’s existing device-based census data, and is expected to offer more insight into ‘unidentified viewing', which the organisation said accounted for 20% of total TV set use in 2018.

The router meters will remain in place for the duration of Barb’s current audience measurement panel and data publication contract with Kantar, which ends in 2022. The contract is up for tender from 2023, and Barb said it expects the technology to form part of the winning contract.

Justin Sampson, chief executive, Barb, said: "Whether it is live streaming or watching on-demand, people around the UK are getting used to watching content that’s been distributed through BVOD services and other online platforms. This is why a meter attached to the broadband router in panel homes is a vital capability for Barb to have.

"We’re pleased to ask Kantar to install its new technology alongside the meters it has already attached to TV sets in our representative panel of homes. This will allow us to maintain momentum in improving our service, while also running a tender process that ensures we’re working with the research agencies that are best-equipped to deliver a high-quality solution through to the end of the next decade."