VAB

What VAB does

VAB (Video Advertising Bureau) is a non-profit, membership-based industry organization founded in 1980 and headquartered in New York City. It serves brand marketers, media companies, streaming platforms, networks, and advertising agencies by producing original research, measurement analysis, and industry advocacy for the U.S. video advertising market. The organization's core offerings are a research content portfolio rather than a software platform: an Insights Library of more than 300 original reports, 12 curated Insights Hubs covering topics from streaming to political marketing, the Grab & Go downloadable chart resource, and the Measurement Innovation Task Force — an industry coalition formed in October 2021 that has surfaced 54 billion ad impressions not counted by legacy measurement systems. VAB also participates in the U.S. Joint Industry Committee for premium video currency certification and recently recommended Households or Persons 2+ as new cross-platform audience guarantee standards.

VAB monetizes exclusively through annual membership fees from its member organizations, with pricing not publicly disclosed. Its go-to-market is sales-led, acquiring members through direct outreach, industry events, and thought leadership content, and it distributes content through its website, email newsletters, webinars, press releases, and executive appearances at industry conferences (Kagan, Possible, ARF AUDIENCExSCIENCE, StreamTV Show, DTC National). The organization does not build technology products, does not offer an API or SDK, and has no disclosed AI/ML capabilities or proprietary software platform; its competitive position rests on research quality, data transparency, convening authority, and ecosystem relationships with the largest U.S. media companies.

VAB's named member roster spans the majority of the top-tier U.S. video advertising ecosystem — A+E Networks, AMC Networks, Comcast Advertising, Warner Bros. Discovery, NBCUniversal, Fox Corporation, Paramount, Hulu, DIRECTV Advertising, and Disney Advertising — positioning the organization as a coalition-style industry body rather than a commercial vendor. Its 2026 product cadence (new audience guarantee standards, Premium Video vs. YouTube CTV research, political advertising survey, 10th-edition cross-device report) indicates an active expansion of research output and vertical coverage within its existing U.S. footprint.

Name

VAB

Legal name

VAB

Website

https://thevab.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2021

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

VAB (Video Advertising Bureau) is a non-profit membership organization serving U.S. brand marketers, media companies, and agencies with original video advertising research, measurement advocacy, and industry insights through a 300+ report Insights Library and the Measurement Innovation Task Force.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Video Advertising Research & Insights

NAICS

Advertising Agencies (54181)

SIC

Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Video advertising insights
• Media research services
• TV measurement analytics
• Audience measurement research
• Advertising industry reports

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: VAB generates revenue through annual membership fees paid by brand marketers, media companies, and industry organizations. Members receive access to proprietary research reports, industry data, and exclusive insights.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

VAB (Video Advertising Bureau) is a membership-based industry organization that provides original research, industry reports, and educational resources for the video advertising industry. Members gain access to an Insights Library of 300+ original reports, 12 curated Insights Hubs covering streaming, measurement, attribution, and political marketing, and downloadable Grab & Go charts. VAB also leads the Measurement Innovation Task Force, a coalition working to modernize TV measurement and uncover discrepancies in industry data.

Product overview

VAB (Video Advertising Bureau) is an insights-driven industry organization that provides original research, industry reports, and educational resources for the video advertising and marketing industry. The core offering consists of an Insights Library containing 300+ original reports, 12 curated Insights Hubs covering topics from streaming to political marketing, and the Grab & Go downloadable chart resource. VAB also leads the Measurement Innovation Task Force and participates in Joint Industry Committee certification efforts. The organization commissions custom research projects and delivers content through webinars and blog posts. VAB does not offer a software platform or API product, but rather provides data-driven insights and industry advocacy for brand leaders making media decisions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Insights Library

Quantifiable outcome

• 54 billion ad impressions discovered through 350+ re-processed runs
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Measurement Innovation Task ForcecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2021Formalized in October 2021, this coalition is led by VAB and comprised of the industry's senior-most research, analytics, and insights executives working to solve complex issues in TV measurement and advance the transformation of multiscreen TV measurement and currency.
• DynatasupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAB commissioned Dynata to conduct a December 2025 survey of 2,319 U.S. adults examining media trust and engagement patterns, resulting in the report 'The Lead Story: How Multiscreen TV Drives Cross-Partisan Engagement for Political Ad Campaigns'.
• TVisionsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAB commissioned TVision to conduct custom research comparing audience behavior on Premium Video Platforms versus YouTube for connected TV (CTV) advertising, with data collected from July 2024 to June 2025.
• U.S. Joint Industry Committee (JIC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVAB is part of the U.S. Joint Industry Committee focused on premium video currency certification, providing transparency on the transactional readiness of cross-platform solutions ahead of upfronts.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights1 record

Direct peers

• Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB): TVB is the trade association representing local broadcast television stations, advocating for local TV advertising and producing audience research. It is a direct peer in defending and measuring broadcast/TV video advertising, though focused on local rather than national.
• Advertising Research Foundation (ARF): ARF is a research-focused industry body advancing advertising effectiveness and audience measurement science. It is a direct peer in the research-and-insights role VAB plays specifically for video advertising, and VAB leadership has appeared on ARF stages.
• Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM): CIMM is a coalition of leading TV programmers, agencies, and advertisers focused on cross-platform audience measurement innovation. It overlaps directly with VAB's Measurement Innovation Task Force mandate and shares VAB's member base.
• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): The leading trade association for the digital advertising industry, IAB develops standards, conducts research, and advocates on behalf of digital ad sellers and buyers. Like VAB, IAB convenes the industry around measurement standards and publishes widely cited research, but in the digital/online video domain rather than traditional and streaming TV.

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen: Nielsen is the dominant TV audience measurement and ratings provider, the de facto currency for U.S. video advertising transactions. While a for-profit measurement company rather than a trade body, it sits adjacent to VAB's mission of advancing transparent video measurement and is both a partner and competitive force in the measurement ecosystem.
• Association of National Advertisers (ANA): ANA is the largest trade association for U.S. advertisers, representing buy-side brands across all media. It is a broader incumbent in the advertising industry that also produces research and convenes measurement initiatives intersecting with VAB's mandate.
• Mobile Marketing Association (MMA): MMA is a global trade association for mobile marketing and advertising, developing standards, research, and measurement frameworks. It is a comparable channel-specific industry body, though focused on mobile rather than TV/video.
• 4A's (American Association of Advertising Agencies): 4A's is the trade association for U.S. advertising agencies, covering media planning, buying, and creative across channels. It is comparable as an industry-body peer on the agency side, complementing VAB's sell-side focus.

Emerging players

• iSpot.tv: iSpot.tv is a real-time TV and streaming ad measurement and attribution company providing cross-platform ad analytics. It represents an emerging for-profit alternative to legacy measurement that competes for the same insight budgets VAB members allocate.

Regional players

• ThinkTV (Australia): ThinkTV is the marketing body for Australian commercial television, providing research, case studies, and audience measurement insights to advertisers. It is a regional peer operating the same industry-body model as VAB but for the Australian market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/VABintel
• YouTubeyoutube.com/@VAB
• Facebookfacebook.com/TheVAB
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/vabintel
• Instagraminstagram.com/thevab

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VAB