As anticipated, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), in conjunction with its Broadband Committee and Measurement Task Force, announced final "Broadband Video Commercial Measurement Guidelines" (summary). Intended principally for interactive media companies and ad-serving organizations, the measurement guidelines determine at what point a broadband video commercial is counted. They also address browser- or browser-equivalent-based internet activity that involves streaming video and audio advertising content.

The guidelines (full text, pdf) state that "a valid broadband ad impression may only be counted when an ad counter (logging server) receives and responds to an HTTP request for a tracking asset from a client. The count must happen after the initiation of the stream, post-buffering, as opposed to the linked broadband content itself. Specifically, measurement should not occur when the buffer is initiated, rather measurement should occur when the ad itself begins to appear on the user's browser, closest to the opportunity to see."

The guidelines define a "Broadband Video Commercial" as a commercial that may appear before, during or after a variety of content, including streaming video, animation, gaming and music video content in a player environment; the commercial may appear in live, archived and downloadable streaming content.

"The creation of the IAB Broadband Video Commercial Measurement Guidelines reinforces the interactive industry's commitment to be the most accountable advertising medium," said Greg Stuart, CEO of IAB, in a statement. "As with all IAB measurement guidelines, these guidelines further establish consistency for the marketplace allowing marketers and their agencies to create the most engaging and effective interactive campaigns possible."