2024's Top Intent-Driving Ads Are Here. Download the Ranking>

iSpot Achieves First-Ever MRC Accreditation for National TV Ad Occurrence Reporting

A Commitment to Reliable and Trustworthy Data

When iSpot was founded in 2012, TV advertising was in the dark. It took weeks for brands and networks to know when and where ads aired. If a marketer wished to view their campaign performance, or to see the context or pod position in which their ads ran in order to compare creative strategies, they were out of luck.  

At iSpot, we knew a real-time system for tracking and measuring TV ads would change the game for advertisers and networks. The industry needed a single source of truth. So we built one. And today, we’re excited that our ad catalog, and the proprietary system through which it is maintained – our ad occurrence data – is now the first ever of its kind to be accredited by the Media Rating Council (MRC).

MRC accreditation is a monumental achievement for iSpot and for our customers. It validates that iSpot TV ad airing detection and reporting measurement products meet the highest standard of quality, transparency and trust. It assures TV media buyers and sellers that the airings detection and reporting measurement they rely on were independently and thoroughly audited and approved by the industry’s self-regulatory body, instilling confidence in their data-driven decisions. 

iSpot ad occurrence data powers modern TV advertising measurement. It comprises:

  • Second-by-second ingestion of every ad on every network 
  • Audio and video fingerprinting of each ad airing
  • Advanced ACR for matching new airings to our master datastore
  • An ironclad combination of patented technology and a dedicated team of human editors for verification and layering metadata

Our proven process makes the iSpot ad catalog the most extensive and accurate library of TV ad creatives in the industry, and keeps our customers in lockstep with the ever-changing TV ad landscape.

About iSpot MRC accreditation for National TV Ad Occurrence Reporting

iSpot’s MRC accreditation is specifically awarded to our TV ad occurrence reporting, a crucial dataset that provides granular information about when specific ads aired in a particular schedule. This data is essential for advertisers to verify the occurrence of their purchased ads, track competitors’ ad placements, and keep up to date with their campaign while it is in flight. MRC accreditation confirms the dataset’s accuracy in network, timestamps, ad type, duration, advertiser and ad creative family. 

The accreditation demonstrates our ongoing commitment to quality. iSpot ad occurrence data underwent rigorous assessment by the MRC, and emerged with an impressive level of accuracy at 98.6% or higher. This achievement highlights the reliability of iSpot data and signifies our laser focus on sustaining an exceptional level of accuracy year after year.

Complete Coverage of the TV Ad Landscape 

With over two million TV spots ingested to date, the iSpot ad catalog, powered by our ad occurrence reporting, drives our full suite of measurement, attribution and currency solutions. 

With complete coverage of TV advertising, including 55,000 advertisers, the ad catalog helps brands gain insights into their competitors’ creative and media strategies. Brands can analyze current and historical ad performance, compare their creative and media plans with those of their competitors, and benchmark against industry and event-specific norms, to ultimately stand out in a crowded market. 

The staggering number of spots measured – 58 trillion linear and streaming spots and 977 billion conversions attributed – is made possible by this meticulously-maintained ad catalog maintained by iSpot Content Operation. This roughly 40-person team ensures swift ingestion of new content, accurate processing of ad variations and the addition of relevant metadata. The team also verifies the accuracy of reported ad airings.

Unmatched Speed, Scale & Accuracy

iSpot equips advertisers with a valuable tool to accurately measure the performance of different creative iterations. This becomes particularly useful when examining movie trailers, which undergo numerous revisions as the release date of the film approaches. Similarly, car commercials exhibit ever-changing variations across different regions, including offers and promotions. The ability to distinguish these variations enables advertisers to effectively test and monitor the impact of their creatives on key metrics like impressions, attention, conversions and lift. 

Our cutting-edge methodology offers unique measurement advantages.

Speed
Traditional methods of measuring TV ad effectiveness rely on self-reported network post logs which can take many weeks to deliver. iSpot provides near real-time data on how ads are performing, so advertisers can optimize their campaigns on the fly with actual data, rather than relying on guesswork or missing out on fleeting TV ad opportunities. 

Scale
With access to current and historical ad data on competitors’ creatives and media plans, as well as industry and event-specific benchmarks, advertisers working with iSpot can make strategic TV ad decisions more swiftly, even during a campaign flight when there is still time to improve the campaign’s return on ad spend (ROAS). 

Accuracy
Using the ad catalog, iSpot verifies every impression for every airing of every creative through audio and visual recognition technology. Verification ensures that TV ads air as intended and impressions are only counted when they actually occurred. This means advertisers know where and when viewers engage with their ads, enabling them to make informed campaign decisions. 

Each one of these benefits are powerful on their own, but combined into one solution, make for an invaluable resource for marketers in the highly fragmented TV landscape. Accurate measurement plays a huge role in helping advertisers and networks make better decisions about their TV ad investments and programming content. By embracing precise measurement methodologies offered by the newly accredited iSpot ad occurrence data, advertisers can optimize campaigns to improve ROAS and ensure TV ads reach the right audience at the right time. 

* iSpot considers an ad airing to be national when it comes from the network broadcast with no variability based on operator or region