What do the MRC out-of-home measurement standards require?

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Pygmalios · Accepted Answer

What the MRC out-of-home measurement standards require

The MRC Out-of-Home Measurement Standards, Phase 1 – Exclusive of Audience, were finalised in April 2024 as Version 1.0 and are sponsored by the Media Rating Council ¹. The standards mandate reporting of certain core metrics while permitting optional supplemental metrics that are clearly labelled ². For display OOH, the required reporting metric is the measure associated with the visual component only, reflecting an area in which exposure to the display can be determined with no assurance that audio can be heard ²¹.

Metrics and counting

The standards set a hierarchy of OOH measurement: Location Traffic, Gross Impressions (Rendered), Viewable Impressions (Opportunity-to-See) and Likelihood-to-See Impressions (LTS) ¹. Viewable Impressions must satisfy the criteria for Gross Impressions plus a functional display, presence in the display exposure zone and an existing viewability condition ¹. Viewable and location impressions should draw on third-party data, manual counts, surveys and technology such as sensors and beacons, while universe definitions should be based on independent industry or government data and updated regularly ¹. The industry is also directed toward a uniform set of classification specifications for device types, location types and environmental factors ¹.

Disclosure, audit and privacy

Measurement organisations must transparently disclose their location traffic, impressions and display measurement activity recording process, and fully describe the methodology used to calculate segment and ad unit impressions ¹. Where measurement is periodic rather than continuous, the frequency and the age of the data must be prominently disclosed ¹. Methodologies must be auditable and privacy-compliant, and independent auditors support trust across the ecosystem ². Privacy must be protected throughout, with GDPR considered where applicable ¹. Phase 2 – Audience was issued as a public comment draft in July 2025 ¹.