The joint offering will combine data from the Roy Morgan Single Source syndicated research study of the multimedia consumption habits, purchase intentions and attitudes of more than 50,000 Australians, with Effective Measure’s cookie-based web audience measurement technology.

Roy Morgan CEO Michele Levine (pictured) said the joint venture heralded “a new era of web measurement and understanding in Australia”.

Effective Measure International founder and SVP of market development James Robertson added: “For the very first time, advertisers will have access to detailed demographic, lifestyle and attitudinal information across all online properties in Australia, offering reliable and exciting insights into how best they can reach their target audience.”

News of the tie-up between the two firms follows reports that the Internet Advertising Bureau is to put out a tender to find a supplier for an industry-backed hybrid web measurement system to produce currency data for ad buying and selling.

The IAB had been working on developing such a system with Nielsen, but it now seems likely to invite ComScore and Komli Media-owned ViziSense to pitch their own alternatives.

Earlier this week, ViziSense appointed former Nielsen Online managing director Andrew Reid as managing director as part of the firm’s “aggressive” plans to grow in Australia and Asia Pacific.

• Meanwhile, in a further twist to the tale, Nielsen’s online division has appointed Gai Le Roy as vice president of research and audience measurement for the Asia Pacific region. Le Roy was previously an independent consultant but has chaired three councils for IAB Australia: research, measurement and standards and guidelines.