What Auditel does

Auditel S.r.l is Italy's official television audience measurement organization, operating as a Joint Industry Committee (JIC) since 1984 with headquarters in Milan. It is owned by a tripartite consortium of Italian media stakeholders — RAI (33%), RTI/Mediaset (26.7%), UPA (20%), Assap Servizi (13%), La7 (3.3%), Confindustria Radio Televisioni (3%), and FIEG (1%) — that ensures cross-control among competing market participants. Auditel measures TV viewing minute-by-minute, 24/7, for approximately 440 national and local broadcasters and 191+ publishers, using a dual methodology: a sample-based SuperPanel of 16,100 households (about 41,000 individuals, 30,540 meters, covering 3,500+ municipalities) and a census-based SDK system deployed in broadcaster players to track digital device viewing. The Total Audience system, launched in April 2022, integrates both methodologies into a single deduplicated cross-platform measurement covering linear TV, Smart TV, PC, smartphone, tablet, and game consoles.

The commercial model is subscription-based licensing: national TV channels pay annual fees tied to audience share with a €34,800 minimum, local channels pay per-thousand-contacts plus a €5,100 annual data-publication fee, and professional users (agencies, advertisers, media centers) license data through three authorized software houses (Nielsen, Techedge, MCS). A trial period at €3,900/month supports new channel onboarding. The CUSV (Codice Unico Spot Video) system extends the franchise into video advertising tracking, integrated with major ad servers and verification platforms. Regulatory oversight by AgCom, Agcm, and the Garante Privacy, combined with full intellectual property ownership of measurement protocols, forms a high-barrier institutional position. Auditel has fewer than 50 employees, has recently refreshed its leadership (President Lorenzo Sassoli de Bianchi, April 2024; Director General Paolo Lugiato, September 2024), and holds ISO 9001, ISO 26000, and UNI PdR 125:2022 certifications alongside three consecutive Best Workplace Italia awards.

Name

Auditel

Legal name

Auditel S.r.l

Website

https://auditel.it

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Auditel is Italy's Joint Industry Committee for TV audience measurement, operating a 16,100-household SuperPanel plus census-based SDK to deliver cross-platform audience data to ~440 broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies through licensed software houses under tripartite industry governance.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

TV Audience Measurement

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

National TV & Cross-Platform Audience Measurement Panels (MPABAOAA)

Keywords

• TV audience measurement
• Cross-platform measurement
• Video advertising tracking
• Media research services
• Audience ratings data

Headquarters

HQ city

Milan

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. TV Broadcaster Licensing Fees: National TV channels pay annual fees for measurement services. Cost is calculated based on annual share quota and is proportionally attributed to broadcasters requesting publication. Minimum guaranteed level of 34,800 euros per contract. Local TV channels pay based on daily net contacts (up to 100,000 contacts: 5,000 euros; above 100,000 contacts: 12 euros per thousand contacts). Additional 5,100 euros annual for daily elementary data publication.
2. Professional User Data Licensing: Advertising agencies, media centers, and other professional users pay licensing fees to access Auditel data through software houses. Fees vary based on user category, business dimension, and scope of information provided. The market has been restructured with lower minimum thresholds to favor smaller users.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Auditel is Italy's official TV audience measurement company (Joint Industry Committee) that operates a dual measurement system combining a sample-based panel of 16,100 households (SuperPanel with electronic meters) and a census-based SDK tracking digital devices, producing cross-platform Total Audience ratings and viewership data. The company sells licensing of this measurement data to TV broadcasters, advertising agencies, and advertisers through annual subscription contracts and through authorized software house partners (Nielsen, Techedge, MCS).

Product overview

Auditel is Italy's official television audience measurement company (Joint Industry Committee) operating since 1984. The product portfolio centers on the SuperPanel Auditel, a sample-based measurement system of 16,100 households with electronic meters, complemented by the Ricerca di Base Auditel survey providing population foundations. The flagship Total Audience system (launched April 2022) uniquely integrates sample-based TV measurement with census-based digital device tracking (via SDK) to provide cross-platform, deduplicated audience data. Additional offerings include Standard Auditel (traditional TV data), Standard Digitale Auditel (digital device metrics), the CUSV video ad tracking system, and the Auditel Dashboard for data access.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SuperPanel™: The panel of 16,100 families representing the Italian population, used for sample-based TV audience measurement. The SuperPanel is described as a world-leading sample in terms of ratio to population.
• Total Audience
• CUSV (Codice Unico Spot Video)

Products and services

• SuperPanel Auditel A sample panel of 16,100 representative Italian households (approximately 41,000 individuals) equipped with 30,540 electronic meters that automatically detect tuned channels 24 hours a day, minute by minute. Constitutes the primary sample-based TV audience measurement system with international primacy in sample-to-population ratio.
• Ricerca di Base Auditel A comprehensive social survey conducted seven times annually interviewing 20,000 households using CAPI face-to-face methodology. Provides the foundation for SuperPanel recruitment and population universe estimation of Italian TV families aged 4+.
• Total Audience An innovative cross-platform audience measurement system integrating sample-based (SuperPanel) and census-based (digital device) data. Provides deduplicated viewing data across traditional TV, Smart TV, PC, smartphone, tablet, and game consoles for both linear and on-demand content. First-of-its-kind internationally combining both methodologies.
• CUSV - Codice Unico Spot Video A unique video ad tracking code system (ADV-ID) enabling certification of video advertising impressions across linear TV, digital, OTT, addressable, and on-demand platforms. Tracks Legitimate Streams (at least 300ms of actual viewing) and Total Time Spent metrics. Ensures 1:1 correspondence between creativity and code.
• Standard Auditel Traditional TV audience measurement data covering approximately 440 broadcast channels, including national and local stations, satellite, and digital terrestrial television. Provides metrics including Average Minute Rating, Share, Penetration, Net Contacts, Minutes Viewed, and Permanence.
• Standard Digitale Auditel Digital device audience measurement covering Smart TV, PC, smartphone, tablet, and game console viewing. Uses census-based methodology (SDK tracking) providing metrics including Average Minute Rating-Device, Legitimate Stream, Total Time Spent, and Average Stream Duration.
• Auditel Dashboard A web-based data portal allowing users to query and archive audience measurement data by TV channel type (national/local), year, and month with publicly accessible data. Provides free ratings data, weekly summaries, and Total Audience data.

Quantifiable outcome

• 30,540 meters monitoring 41,000 individuals every minute
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration13 records

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NielsencoreTechnology or IntegrationNielsen is one of three authorized software houses that provide Auditel data analysis tools to professional clients. Receives daily data at 10:00 for processing and distribution to broadcasters, advertisers, and agencies.
• TechedgecoreTechnology or IntegrationTechedge is one of three authorized software houses that provide Auditel data analysis tools to professional clients. Receives daily data at 10:00 for processing and distribution.
• MCScoreTechnology or IntegrationMCS is one of three authorized software houses that provide Auditel data analysis tools to professional clients. Receives daily data at 10:00 for processing and distribution.
• ISTATcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with ISTAT for population statistics used in sample design and universe estimation. Ricerca di Base is deeply embedded in national statistical system.
• Banca d'ItaliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Banca d'Italia (Bank of Italy) for population data used in sample design and universe estimation.
• AgCom (Autorità per le Garanzie nelle Comunicazioni)coreOthersAgCom has legal mandate (Law 249/1997) to oversee TV audience measurement. Auditel submits informational notes to AgCom and is subject to ongoing regulatory supervision.
• Agcm (Autorità garante della concorrenza e del mercato)coreOthersItalian Competition Authority monitors Auditel's compliance with competition rules and market fairness.
• Garante per la protezione dei dati personalicoreOthersItalian Data Protection Authority oversees Auditel's GDPR compliance for personal data handling in audience measurement.
• United Nations Global CompactminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAuditel is an active member of the UN Global Compact, adhering to its 10 principles on human rights, labor standards, environment, and anti-corruption.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• AGF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung): Germany's joint industry committee for TV audience measurement. Operates a comparable panel-plus-census methodology and serves the same currency role for German TV advertising transactions that Auditel serves for Italy.
• BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board): UK's official television audience measurement organization, operating a panel-based system. Functions as the UK analogue to Auditel and is the closest cross-country comparable in terms of JIC structure and currency role.
• Nielsen: Nielsen is the global leader in TV and cross-platform audience measurement and is also one of Auditel's three authorized software house partners. Both operate panel-and-census audience measurement systems used as the currency for TV advertising transactions in their respective markets.
• Mediametrie (Médiamétrie): France's official TV audience measurement joint industry committee. Directly comparable to Auditel as a JIC providing national TV and cross-platform audience measurement used as the advertising transaction currency in France.
• Kantar Media: Global audience measurement and media analytics provider operating in multiple countries including a strong position in audience ratings. Directly competes with Auditel's value proposition for advertisers and broadcasters seeking cross-platform measurement.

Emerging players

• Ipsos: Global market research firm that has expanded into media measurement and is an Auditel partner through the Auditel-Ipsos Doxa reports. Comparable as a research partner and adjacent competitor in audience insights.
• GfK (Growth from Knowledge): German market research firm with significant media and consumer panel operations. Comparable to Auditel in audience research methodology and as a supplier of population/universe estimates for media measurement.
• Comscore: US-based digital and cross-platform audience measurement company. Comparable to Auditel's census-based digital measurement (Standard Digitale Auditel and CUSV) and increasingly relevant for cross-platform Total Audience-style solutions.

Regional players

• Numeris: Canada's television and digital audience measurement organization. Operates a comparable JIC-style measurement system for the Canadian market, analogous to Auditel's role in Italy.
• Video Research: Japan's leading TV audience measurement company. Operates panel-based TV ratings for the Japanese market with a similar industry-utility role to Auditel but in a different geography.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 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 Auditel