Media Rating Council

Name

Media Rating Council

Legal name

Media Rating Council

Website

https://mediaratingcouncil.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

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

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

MRC audits and accredits media measurement products and data sources across Digital, Out-of-Home, Print, Radio, Television, and cross-media categories. Measurement service providers must complete annual external audits conducted by independent CPA auditors, pass review by an MRC audit committee, and receive Board approval to earn or renew accreditation. MRC also develops and publishes the Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research and specialized measurement guidelines that form the audit criteria.

Product overview

The Media Rating Council is a not-for-profit industry self-regulatory body (established 1963 at the request of US Congress) that provides audit and accreditation services for media measurement products and data sources. MRC offers accreditation across six media categories: Digital, Out-of-Home, Print, Radio, Television, and cross-media/multimedia products. The core offering consists of MRC Accreditation Services, which measurement companies obtain through annual external audits performed by independent CPA auditors. MRC also develops and publishes Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research and specialized guidelines including Digital Audience-Based Measurement, Digital Audio Measurement, Cross-Media Measurement, Invalid Traffic Detection (IVT 2.0), Attention Measurement, Retail Media Measurement, OTT/CTV/SSAI Measurement, and Out-of-Home Measurement Standards. The organization provides member education seminars covering measurement methodology topics. MRC does not sell its own software products; rather, it validates and accredits third-party measurement services provided by companies such as Nielsen, DoubleVerify, Google, Meta, Amazon, and others.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• MRC Accreditation Services Independent audit and accreditation service for media measurement products and data sources across Digital, Out-of-Home, Print, Radio, Television, and cross-media products. Measurement service providers undergo annual external audits by independent CPA auditors, pass audit committee review, and receive MRC Board approval to earn or renew accreditation, after which they may display the MRC accreditation mark.
• MRC Minimum Standards for Media Rating Research Base set of assessment criteria establishing the foundation for all audits conducted of services engaged in the MRC accreditation process, covering ethical and operational standards, disclosure standards specifying methodology information, and electronic delivery standards.
• Digital Audience-Based Measurement Standard Published standard for digital audience measurement establishing baseline requirements for consistent methodology and reporting of audience data across digital platforms.
• Digital Audio Measurement Standards (includes Podcasting) Comprehensive standards for measuring digital audio content consumption including podcasting, providing guidelines for accurate measurement and reporting of digital audio audiences.
• Cross-Media Measurement Standard - Phase I: Video Initial phase of cross-media measurement standards focused on video content across platforms, enabling consistent measurement methodology for video audiences regardless of distribution channel.
• Invalid Traffic Detection and Filtration Guidelines (IVT 2.0) Comprehensive guidelines for detecting and filtering invalid traffic in digital advertising, with the IVT 2.0 standards addendum updated in 2020 and interim updates issued in April 2024.
• Attention Measurement Guidelines Guidelines for measuring and reporting attention metrics in advertising, published in November 2025 as a collaborative effort with the IAB.
• Retail Media Measurement Guidelines Standards for measuring retail media advertising, published in January 2024 to address the growing retail media sector.
• OTT/CTV and SSAI Digital Video Measurement Guidelines Measurement guidelines for over-the-top (OTT), connected TV (CTV), and server-side ad insertion (SSAI) video measurement, issued August 2021.
• MRC Digital Advertising Auction Transparency Standards Standards for digital advertising auction transparency, providing requirements and best practices for disclosure and reporting across display, video, search, social, retail media, streaming CTV, and addressable TV channels.
• Out-of-Home Measurement Standards (Phase 1 & 2) Combined standards for out-of-home advertising measurement, finalized in December 2025 covering both Phase 1 and Phase 2 of out-of-home measurement methodology.
• MRC Member Education Seminars Periodic educational seminars provided to MRC membership covering survey methodology topics including Sample Design, Response Rates, Data Collection, Internet Measurement, Ratings Math, Audit Testing, Digital Measurement, Blockchain Technology, Machine Learning, and Data Quality.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Advertising Research Foundation (ARF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMRC maintains a formal liaison relationship with the Advertising Research Foundation (ARF). The two organizations collaborate on research initiatives and share perspectives on measurement matters. ARF's DASH Study has received MRC accreditation.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Alliance for Audited Media (AAM): AAM is a media audit organization that verifies circulation, audience, and engagement metrics across print and digital media. It directly parallels MRC's audit-and-accreditation function for audience measurement, operating in adjacent media categories (primarily print and digital publisher metrics).
• BPA Worldwide: BPA Worldwide is a media audit organization providing independent verification of circulation, audience, and digital metrics for business publications, events, and digital media. Like MRC, it operates as a third-party audit and accreditation body for media measurement services.
• Advertising Research Foundation (ARF): ARF is a research organization for advertising and marketing effectiveness, with a formal liaison relationship to MRC. The two bodies collaborate on research initiatives and ARF's DASH Study has received MRC accreditation, making ARF a closely related peer in measurement research and standards.
• Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG): TAG is a cross-industry accountability program combating fraudulent digital advertising activity, including anti-piracy, anti-malware, and brand safety certifications. It operates in a parallel self-regulatory function to MRC within digital advertising standards.

Broad incumbents

• Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB): IAB is the primary digital advertising industry trade association that develops technical standards (VAST, OpenRTB) and guidelines. MRC has collaborated with IAB on the Attention Measurement Guidelines (Nov 2025), and IAB operates in adjacent standards-setting territory but with broader industry representation and technical scope.
• National Advertising Division (NAD) / BBB National Programs: NAD is the US advertising industry's self-regulatory forum for reviewing truth-in-advertising claims. Like MRC, it operates as an industry self-regulatory body addressing advertiser accountability, but focuses on advertising claims rather than measurement methodology.
• ESOMAR: ESOMAR is the global market research association establishing professional standards and guidelines for market, opinion, and social research including audience measurement. It operates globally as an industry body parallel to MRC's standards-setting role for research methodology.

Regional players

• Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC): ABC is the UK-based media industry audit body verifying circulation and audience data for newspapers, magazines, and digital publishers. It operates as a regional counterpart to MRC's audit function but is geographically focused on UK and European markets.
• Advertising Standards Authority (ASA): ASA is the UK's independent advertising self-regulatory body regulating advertising content across all media. It functions as MRC's counterpart in advertising self-regulation but with a geographic focus on UK markets and a content (vs. measurement) remit.
• Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (JICWEBS): JICWEBS is the UK industry-created body that sets standards for digital advertising audience measurement and viewability. It operates in a regional market with a similar audit-and-standards function to MRC for digital media measurement.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/media-rating-council-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Media Rating Council