In anticipation of its entry into application in August this year, the EBU has joined forces with ACT and egta to inform the implementation of the European Media Freedom Act's (EMFA) provisions on audience measurement. In a Joint Media Industry Position (see document on the right), the coalition of public service media, commercial media, and radio and TV sales houses urges the European Commission to develop comprehensive guidelines.  

Thomas Bergmann, Senior EU Policy Advisor, comments: “Reliable and transparent audience measurement is the cornerstone of a sustainable media ecosystem. By ensuring all measurement systems adhere to the highest standards and ultimately share their measurements, we can maintain trust, support innovation, and continue to provide valuable services to our audiences. To make this a reality, the Commission must bring the high-level principles of the EMFA to life and and help all relevant actors in the value chain understand what they mean in practice. With our joint media industry paper, we want to kick off these discussions and help inform the development of Commission guidelines.”  

The Joint Media Industry Paper highlights crucial elements in the implementation of the EMFA’s audience measurement rules. Among other things, the signatories:  

• describe how key principles, such as transparency, impartiality, and inclusiveness, should be implemented in practice;  
• provide their views on what should be understood as ‘proprietary audience measurement provider’. Besides online platforms (e.g., YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram), other relevant actors in the value chain like internet/telecom operators, OTT services, connected devices and operating systems providing access to media services must be considered;  
• explain how data sharing between providers of proprietary audience measurement systems and media service providers should take place.  

The coalition looks forward to engaging with the European Commission and other stakeholders to develop guidelines that will benefit the entire media ecosystem.