YouTube Changes Partner Lineup For Its Three-Year-Old ‘Measurement Program’

YouTube has made noted changes to the lineup of its YouTube Measurement Program (YTMP), which was formed in 2017 to share a trove of data with select analytics partners to give a glimpse at the YouTube ecosphere from a third-party perspective. Those partners then harness the data — culled from an API that provides insight into billions of views — to sell their research services to brands, typically in the realms of analytics and brand safety.

AdAge reports that on Monday, YouTube added five new partners to the program — including Channel Factory, DoubleVerify, Integral Ad Science, Sightly, and VuePlanner — though it has dropped one of its founding partners and a big name in the space: OpenSlate. This decision stemmed from OpenSlate’s refusal to sign a contract that would limit what it can report to clients — namely that it would no longer be able to report whether ads ran next to videos with questionable or harmful content, per AdAge, citing an exec familiar with the negotiations.

AdAge explains that the new contract also stipulates that OpenSlate would not be able to inform clients — who include Procter & Gamble

, Nestle, and GroupM — if their ads had run next to a YouTube channel that has historically shared inappropriate content.

“Advertisers rely on OpenSlate’s independent, third-party measurement to ensure they are running in suitable environments,” OpenSlate told the outlet in a statement. “Google is a valued partner and we endeavor to resolve our differences.”

“We’re excited to expand the YouTube Measurement Program and look forward to working with the nine partners who have already signed on,” a Google spokesperson told AdAge. “We also remain open to any other third parties who help meet our clients’ needs joining the program in the future.”

The nine current partners have been placed into three new categories, as outlined on the YTMP website: ‘brand suitability and contextual targeting’ (Channel Factory, Integral Ad Science, Pixability, Sightly, VuePlanner, and Zefr), ‘brand safety reporting’ (DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science), and ‘content insights’ (Pixability, Tubular Labs, and Wizdeo).