Netflix picks DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science as measurement partners - report

Netflix has scooped up DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science (IAS) as measurement partners for its forthcoming ad-supported tier, AdAge reported Monday.

People familiar with the arrangement told AdAge Netflix picked those companies to ensure ads will run where they’re supposed to and that they conform to industry standards.

DoubleVerify and IAS are both relevant players in the digital advertising space. IAS recently struck a partnership with ad platform Good-Loop to help advertisers measure carbon emissions generated by digital campaigns.

And DoubleVerify announced last month it will provide third-party measurement to Best Buy – bolstering the company’s online advertising. Earlier this year, DoubleVerify conducted research on how often connected TV ad fraud occurs when users power down their device without quitting the CTV app.

Netflix is beefing up its ad measurement arsenal ahead of the ad-supported tier’s launch, which the streamer has targeted for 2023 but some media reports suggested the tier could arrive as early as November.

Netflix in July tapped Microsoft as its global ad technology and sales partner, with Netflix noting the tech giant “has the proven ability to support all our advertising needs.”

To lead its advertising operations, Netflix hired Snapchat executives Jeremi Gorman and Peter Naylor – both of whom joined the company late last month. Gorman is currently Netflix’s president of worldwide advertising, while Naylor is serving as VP of ad sales.

The cost of Netflix’s ad-supported plan has yet to be announced, though a Bloomberg report from August suggested the tier could be priced between $7 to $9 per month, with potentially four minutes of ads per hour.

Netflix has since told The New York Post that report was “speculation” and no decisions have been made regarding price points. Reports have also indicated Netflix will likely not run ads during original movies and kids’ shows.

As for whether consumers would be interested in Netflix with ads, recent Samba TV data suggests nearly half of current Netflix subscribers would consider shifting to the ad-supported tier. Samba also indicated Netflix can potentially bring in new audiences who are already consuming ad-supported content elsewhere.

Netflix is geared up to present its third quarter earnings next week. The streamer on Monday unveiled annual revenue from U.K. subscribers totaled around $1.5 billion (£1.4 billion) – marking the first time Netflix has revealed that metric.