YouTube boost transparency by giving brands data on who sees their adverts

Brands such as Unilever and Kellogg’s are increasingly worried that YouTube is not being transparent enough

The YouTube logo is seen as the "Dear White People" reception in 2014 Park City. (Andrew H. Walker/Staff/Getty)

YouTube is planning to provide companies with information on the number of ads that are actually seen by viewers on the platform, following complaints by advertisers.

Brands such as Unilever and Kellogg’s are increasingly worried that YouTube is not being transparent enough when it comes to their advertisement’s visibility, leading them to waste money on campaigns that are not actually seen.

Sources told the Financial Times that YouTube is now planning to allow third-party verification groups to insert code on its website, enabling these independent entities collect data on the position and context of the ads.

The move is expected to start by year-end and could attract verification companies including ComScore, DoubleVerify and Integral Ad Science.

In a statement late on Sunday, YouTube said viewability had long been a concern for its clients, adding: "We're committed to meeting all of our clients' measurement needs through a combination of product innovation and industry partnerships."

YouTube also said it had further efforts planned and was "taking our clients' feedback into account as we continue to roll out new solutions."

In December 2014, new Google research revealed that 56 per cent of the web's banner ads are never seen. Evidence like that has led companies like GroupM and Unilever to demand that publishers only charge them for ads that had a 100 per cent chance of being seen.

At the time, Rino Scanzoni, the chief investment officer of the world’s largest advertising media company GroupM, said: "Third party verification is a critical component to responsively measure ad viewability. The vast majority of publishers agree to it and the few that don’t will be adversely impacted with significantly reduced spend or be completely removed from our preferred vendor list."