Observed Signal · Mar 12, 2026 · Hiring · Source: VideoWeek · Impact: 3/5 · Sentiment: Positive
Caroline Baxter Takes Helm at Barb for Expanded Measurement
Barb, the UK’s joint industry committee for TV measurement, has appointed Caroline Baxter as Chief Executive. Baxter joined Barb as a Director in 2022 and became Chief Operating Officer in 2024; she spent 27 years at Kantar prior to joining the JIC. Her appointment follows Justin Sampson’s November announcement that he will step down as CEO, effective this September. Barb has broadened its remit from linear TV to cross-platform video, adding services such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ to reporting, launching Barb Ads Hub, taking over the CFlight initiative and running Project Dovetail to combine panel and device-level BVOD data. Barb cited priorities including maintaining a high-quality panel, enabling full-cycle campaign optimisation, modernising data distribution and extending reporting (including ongoing work to cover YouTube on TV sets).
Leadership change at Barb—Britain’s joint industry TV measurement body—matters because Barb is driving cross-platform measurement (CTV/streaming, BVOD initiatives, Ads Hub) that affects advertisers, agencies and broadcasters seeking comparable audience data; the appointment signals continuity and ongoing product development but is not a major platform policy or technical release.
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Key Takeaways & Evidence Grounding
- Barb appointed Caroline Baxter as Chief Executive.
- Justin Sampson announced in November he will step down as Barb CEO, effective this September.
- Baxter joined Barb as a Director in 2022 and became COO in 2024; she previously worked 27 years at Kantar.
- Barb has expanded reporting to include Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Disney+ and launched the Barb Ads Hub.
- Barb runs cross-platform initiatives including CFlight and Project Dovetail and is prioritising expanded reporting (including YouTube on TV sets, where access has been blocked by Google).
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Barb CEO Justin Sampson to Step Down
Barb, the UK’s primary TV measurement body, announced it has begun the search for a new chief executive as current CEO Justin Sampson plans to step down during 2026. Since taking the helm in 2012, Sampson steered Barb through a sweeping redefinition of TV measurement to cover linear, on-demand streaming, and YouTube content, amid a fragmentation of audiences across devices. Under his leadership Barb launched Project Dovetail to measure cross-platform viewership, took over CFlight for cross-platform measurement, and rebranded from BARB to Barb Audiences in 2023 to reflect a broader remit. Barb’s strategic priorities now include extending device data use, enabling full-cycle campaign optimization through Barb Ads Hub, and modernising data distribution to better serve advertisers while representing sell-side interests. Chair Nigel Sharrocks saluted Sampson’s tenure and emphasized Barb’s continued evolution in transparency and industry standards.
Barb Launches Barb Ads Hub Campaign Tool
Barb, the UK joint industry committee for TV measurement, has launched Barb Ads Hub, a new analytics system built by RSMB that covers both pre-campaign planning and post-campaign reporting across linear and on-demand services. The hub unifies Barb’s Advanced Campaign Hub and CFlight into one interface, enabling standardised and custom reports with advanced data-visualisation and automated API ingestion into clients’ tools. Barb describes Barb Ads Hub as a full-cycle campaign optimisation solution designed for planners and evaluators, with Trustmark guarantees ensuring objectivity, transparency, and accountability. Alongside the launch, Barb announced updates to CFlight, expanding target audiences and BVOD coverage (including TNT Sports and Sky AVOD, with STV due in Q1). Future enhancements are planned, including delineating results by sales house and a MMM data pack within CFlight to consolidate linear and VOD exposure. The company signals ongoing development beyond this initial release.
Barb Enhances Ads Hub with Pre-Campaign Planning Feature
Barb, the UK joint industry committee for TV measurement, has added pre-campaign planning functionality to its Barb Ads Hub, enabling advertisers and sellers to forecast unduplicated reach and frequency across linear TV and VOD on multiple screens. The pre-campaign planner (previously Advanced Campaign Hub) combines Barb panel data and first-party data with census-level impressions from participating VOD services — including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and Discovery+ (added 2024) and Disney+ (added 2025). Launched in January and built by RSMB, Barb Ads Hub already offered post-campaign evaluation using CFlight methodology; the new planner makes the system a single destination for pre- and post-campaign planning for roughly 600 UK buyers and sellers. Barb also announced expanded BVOD coverage (TNT Sports, Sky AVOD, STV to follow), a new MMM data pack for post-campaign analysis, and capabilities to delineate results by sales house and support VOD-only campaign analysis. The JIC noted ongoing challenges measuring TV-set audiences for YouTube after Google restricted data access.
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