comScore Sets New Standards for Streaming Media Measurement

Another problem is identifying what content is contained within the stream. This is more difficult than one might imagine, as metadata is not standardized in a way that allows for reporting across content networks. For example, there is no standard identifying mark on a digital media file that says "this is an advertisement" or "this is a movie preview."

Streaming Standards Initiative
To bridge this gap, comScore is working with major media providers to understand how streams relate to pre-defined content areas on their sites. comScore has measured Web traffic for years, and it built a dictionary of Web site definitions to help classify pages--i.e., a URL such as http://news.yahoo.com is classified as a news site. The company now is beginning to build a collection of streaming definitions which will be updated regularly.

It has also started an industry initiative to provide context for measurement purposes. The Streaming Measurement Standards program suggests appending small variables to streaming query strings to flag highly desirable metadata. comScore created over twenty metadata subcategories--such as advertisement, live sports event, or entertainment news--which, once implemented, will allow reporting across sites in those categories. comScore is working with both content providers and CDNs to refine and implement these categories.

This effort will no doubt take time as content providers will need to adjust their trafficking procedures to include the variables. This is not an easy change, particularly in large organizations where many different staffers manage audio and video files. The payoff, however, could be enormous. As more streams are identifiable and more data is catalogued, advertisers will have growing confidence in what their dollars will buy online.