Sky Adopts NBCU’S CFlight For Global Measurement

Sky and NBCUniversal today announced the global expansion of CFlight, with Sky adopting the next-generation metric across all of Sky Media’s content and platforms.

CFlight is a unified advertising metric that captures all live, on-demand and time-shifted commercial impressions on every viewing platform and ensures every impression counts. According to NBCU, “with today’s announcement, CFlight brings the industry closer to a global standard in measurement, beginning to roll out to Sky Media in the UK in the Autumn, with further expansion across Sky’s European territories in 2020.”

This announcement follows the news of NBCUniversal and Sky taking the first step toward creating a global premium video offering with the expansion of AdSmart, a global offering that unifies both companies’ advanced advertising capabilities. Now, the companies say, “with the expansion of CFlight as a unified advertising metric, NBCUniversal and Sky are continuing their mission of creating a one-of-a-kind global premium video offering, making it easy for advertisers to reach customers in key international markets and measure results across NBCUniversal and Sky’s extensive TV and digital portfolio.”

Launched in 2018, CFlight was created by NBCUniversal in response to continuously shifting audience viewing habits. According to NBCU, “because U.S. legacy metrics were unable to accurately capture impressions, NBCUniversal was the industry leader in setting out to create the next generation of measurement—one that meets global consumers where they are and accurately reflects the way they consume and engage with content.”

“The consumer appetite for premium video content is stronger than ever,”said Kavita Vazirani, EVP of insights and measurement, NBCUniversal. “Global consumers aren’t going back in time. They are watching premium video across a wide range of screens, and it’s imperative that the industry comes together and develops new measurement to match. We’re thrilled that Sky Media is adopting CFlight and joining NBCUniversal in the mission to show brands the true value of taking their message to the content fans love on all platforms.”

“Sky offers viewers the ability to watch all their favourite programmes live, on-demand, via catch-up, at home in front of the TV or on their mobile while on the go,” said John Litster, managing director, Sky Media UK. “Now with CFlight, we can give advertisers consistent, accurate measurement across all platforms and types of viewing — a first for the UK. We also continue to support the mission of BARB in the UK to deliver an industry-wide view.”

CFlight uses the industry’s leading measurement sources, including Nielsen in the U.S., BARB in the U.K., and more, to provide marketers with one measurement that encompasses all types of viewing, from OTT co-watching to linear and beyond, illustrating the unparalleled power of buying across all video. In both the U.S. and U.K., CFlight is able to measure and leverage distributed platforms in digital and support any commercial impression, regardless of the delivery mechanism.