On 25 March 2026 the Italian regulatory authority for communications (AGCOM), concluded an analysis of methodologies for measuring content distributed by digital platforms. The aim was to provide guidelines and requirements capable of ensuring transparent, comparable and reliable audience data.
The investigation involved the full range of stakeholders in the sector1 and was launched in light of the growing economic importance of digital audience measurement for the advertising market and the need to overcome current methodological fragmentation. The absence of shared standards and of certified, independent and verifiable methodologies poses risks in terms of market distortion and the protection of media pluralism.
Now that the internet has overtaken television in advertising revenues and accounts for the majority share of total income, the lack of shared standards has produced distortions.
AGCOM has now approved an innovative measure in which a joint industry committee (JIC), Audicom, will be given the task of establishing a suitable methodology.
A single software development kit (SDK, a tool that measures user behaviour directly on the device) is the preferred methodological solution. Server-to-server solutions are also acceptable provided that they comply with strict minimum requirements in terms of tracking, auditing, independent verification and data control.
It is envisaged that Audicom will identify one or more third party independent entities to be entrusted with the auditing, monitoring and verification of the adopted methodology and adapt its statute and governance arrangements accordingly.
The intervention confirms the policy role of AGCOM in the evolution of the media system, as well as its function as guarantor of the paramount public interest in the transparency and reliability of audience data.
From self-reporting to certification
Central to the new decision is certification. Until now platforms measured themselves. The AGCOM decision introduces the principle that, in the digital environment, audience data must be transparent, verifiable and certified by an independent third party. This is not merely a technical adjustment, but a structural transformation. Audience figures determine the value of content, advertising prices and, ultimately, the allocation of investment. Now that the internet has overtaken television in advertising revenues and accounts for the majority share of total income, the lack of shared standards has produced distortions.
The JIC system – and Audicom in particular – is the cornerstone of the new architecture. The objective is to build a truly cross-platform measurement framework capable of placing linear television and online distributed content on an equal footing.
The system is based on the integration and comparability of two different approaches. On the one hand, SDKs and on the other, server-to-server models through which platforms transmit data from their internal systems. The novelty of the decision, which defines SDKs as the “gold standard”, lies not so much in recognising both models, but in requiring that the data produced be reconstructable, auditable and aligned according to common criteria, through independent verification and functional equivalence processes. AGCOM has imposed transparency and verifiability requirements that go beyond those adopted in other jurisdictions and for the first time OTT platforms appear willing to accept them.
This is where one of the most significant aspects of the measure emerges. Having a market in which only 15 per cent of advertising investment is certified while the remaining 85 per cent is not makes little sense, especially considering that a substantial share of digital advertising revenues, dominated by platforms, still escapes shared metrics.
Audience certification is what makes different media comparable. Without that level of reliability, advertisers are forced to operate in an opaque environment, particularly when investing in emerging formats such as connected TV, where prices are higher and the demand for guarantees is stronger. Unsurprisingly, the push towards robust measurement comes not only from regulators, but also from the market and, increasingly, from the platforms themselves.
In recent years, players such as YouTube have experienced explosive growth on connected television, while services such as Netflix and Amazon have introduced advertising based models alongside traditional subscription offerings. In this scenario, continuing to rely on uncertified internal data becomes increasingly unsustainable. “Either you provide reliable, comparable data, or it becomes difficult to invest” is, in essence, the advertisers’ position.
The debate between SDK and server-to-server approaches also reflects deeper tensions. Large global platforms tend to favour models that do not require the installation of external software, citing technical, operational and privacy-related reasons. On the other side, the traditional measurement system insists on the need for shared standards and independent controls. The solution identified by AGCOM seeks to balance these demands, while significantly raising the bar: server-to-server data flows will have to ensure much stricter levels of granularity, frequency and auditability than in the past.
If this architecture withstands the test of implementation, it could mark a turning point not only for the Italian market. The decision is framed within the context of the European Media Freedom Act and the Digital Markets Act, yet it aspires to become a model replicable in other countries as well. It is no coincidence that Google Italy has described the decision as ‘courageous’, highlighting the US giant’s willingness to work with Audicom and the Italian ecosystem to implement the new system swiftly.
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