Agencies still want unified TV and video currency: IAB report
While video advertising continues to surge in Australia, making up nearly a third (27.5%) of all online advertising investment, a majority of media agencies are concerned about the lack of a unified TV and video currency.
This is according to IAB Australia’s 2025 Video Advertising State of the Nation report, which covers video advertising investment, assessment, and plans from media agencies.
Increased investment, as well as the diversification of video environments and formats, have caused new challenges for media agencies according to IAB Australia’s CEO Gai Le Roy. Foremost is measurement, which she said is the “number one focus area” both locally and in the US.
(Midjourney)
And while nine in ten agencies have unified strategies for planning and buying across screens — TV, mobile, computer, retail, outdoor, cinema — 31% rarely, or never, unify effectiveness measurement.
While a majority (57%) identified marketing and advertising ROI as the most important metric in terms of overall business outcomes, just 38% reported measuring ROI or revenue contribution. 37% reported measuring sales lift.
Elsewhere, respondents were “enthusiastic” about the continued growth of the video streaming ecosystem, with 66% of agencies seeing streaming’s future tied to offering better cross platform measurement.
61% believe improved targeting and personalisation will further drive growth, while 53% said that innovative ad format opportunities excite them the most.
The biggest concern for agencies (51%) was the lack of unified currency, despite Oztam officially introducing VOZ as the official trading currency for the Australian television industry late last year.
Oztam also launched VOZ Streaming late last year, designed to provide full access to Australia’s free-to-air commercial BVOD inventory, including 7 Plus, 9 Now, 10 Play, and SBS On Demand. Last month, Netflix announced it would join the system.
In September 2024, however, Foxtel chose to withdraw from Oztam’s measurement data. CEO Mark Frain told Mumbrella at the time that Foxtel linear TV would “continue to be plagued with the same instabilities in audience reporting” if it stayed.
Top areas of concern for Australian media agencies (IAB)
Other concerns for agencies included managing buys across various self-service platforms (46%), challenges in managing frequency (43%), and ecosystem complexity (41%).
The IAB Australia Video Advertising State of the Nation report fieldwork was conducted in May 2025 with 76 independent and major holding group agency decision makers completing the survey.
The survey gathered industry information on video advertising that appears on connected devices such as connected TV, computers, smartphone or tablets, and included video advertising in all varieties of long-form and short-form digital content and social platforms.
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Lauren McNamara is the associate editor at Mumbrella, covering the creative and PR beat. She joined in November 2022 as editorial assistant, after completing a Bachelor of Communications (Journalism) at UTS.
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