Two major measurement providers have left the Media Rating Council's accreditation process. Their withdrawal could reshape how agencies and advertisers choose ad currencies. The competitive landscape for cross-media measurement is shifting.
Media and advertising professionals face new uncertainty as VideoAmp and Nielsen One have both withdrawn from the Media Rating Council's accreditation process. This move directly affects the competitive landscape for ad currency and cross-media measurement, with potential consequences for agencies, suppliers, and advertisers seeking reliable audience data.
According to the latest MRC quarterly update, VideoAmp was removed from in-process status after completing its pre-audit in July 2024, with the company indicating it would not continue the audit. VideoAmp, which has been certified by the U.S. joint industry committee organized by OpenAP, has been competing with Comscore and iSpot as an alternative to Nielsen for audience measurement. Comscore received MRC accreditation in March, while iSpot was granted accreditation for its "occurrence" data in 2025, though its status as a full audience-measurement currency remains unclear.
Nielsen One, promoted by Nielsen as the industry standard for cross-media measurement, also exited the MRC process after a pre-audit review in July 2025. The MRC update stated that Nielsen One was removed from in-process due to the service's withdrawal from accreditation. Nielsen now faces new competition from the Association of National Advertisers' Aquila service, which is supported by major digital platforms and advertisers. While Aquila is not designed as a transactional currency, it aims to provide a truthset for measuring ad reach and frequency across platforms.
Industry analysis commissioned by the Advertising Research Foundation's Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement earlier this year suggested that the U.S. ad market can only sustain two major currencies, but did not specify which providers are most likely to remain. The evolving measurement landscape has prompted publishers and advertisers to closely monitor accreditation status and alternative solutions. For additional perspective on how publishers are adapting to changes in ad environments, see this discussion on new revenue strategies in identity-less contexts: how AI is helping advertisers reach iOS users without major tech changes.
