CESP

What CESP does

CESP (Centre d'Étude des Supports de Publicité) is a French non-profit industry body founded in 1956 in Paris, dedicated to the independent auditing and certification of audience measurement systems used by the advertising and media industry. Its remit spans all major media — television, internet, radio, press, cinema, and out-of-home advertising — and extends beyond France through technical assistance missions to more than 20 countries across the EMEA region and beyond. The organization serves four principal stakeholder groups: media sales houses and broadcasters (e.g., Médiamétrie, ACPM, TF1, M6, France Télévisions, Radio France, Lagardère), advertisers (e.g., leading French advertisers and UDECAM members), agencies and adtech firms (through the Synergence and Alliance Digitale ecosystems), and trade/professional associations.

CESP's core activities are organized around four pillars: auditing of audience measurement methodologies (more than 200 audits completed cumulatively across Press, Internet, TV, Radio, and OOH), certification of compliance with industry-developed standards (notably the Drive-to-Trust program co-developed with the MMA, now in its 24th wave, and emerging eRetail Media certification standards), consulting and field control (e.g., on-site attendance and circulation controls), and training via CESP Academy, which offers 8 thematic modules covering audience measurement, digital advertising, attribution modeling, advertising attention, and related topics. The organization also conducts field operations such as store-visits for OOH and cinema attendance controls.

CESP's business model is association-based: it is funded primarily through membership fees from its six dedicated "collèges" (advertisers, agencies, broadcasters/press/internet, and adtech), supplemented by training revenue (CESP Academy modules priced at €5,000–€6,300 per package of 10 sessions), paid audit and certification engagements, and international consulting missions. Governance is multi-stakeholder, with a Board of Directors partially renewed in June 2024 and a new President, David Lacombled, elected in 2026. CESP is governed as a non-profit under French law (Association loi 1901), with no equity, no external investors, and no disclosed revenue.

Name

CESP

Legal name

Centre d'Étude des Supports de Publicité

Website

https://cesp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1956

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CESP is a French non-profit industry body founded in 1956 that provides independent auditing, certification, consulting, and training of audience measurement systems across TV, internet, radio, press, cinema, and out-of-home advertising. It serves advertisers, agencies, broadcasters, measurement providers, and trade associations in France and internationally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Media Measurement Auditing

NAICS

Advertising, Public Relations, and Related Services (5418), Other Services Related to Advertising (54189), Other Services Related to Advertising (541890)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Legal, Governance, Privacy & Audit Certifications (EDAAANAN)

akta.pro secondary industries

Certification & Licensing Exam Management Platforms (EDAFADAG), Professional Licensure & Certification Exam Prep (Bar/CPA/NCLEX/PMP, etc.) (EDAGADAD), Professional Certification & Training Content Publishing (Exam Prep, CE/CPD) (MPAJACAL)

Keywords

• Audience measurement audits
• Media measurement certification
• Advertising effectiveness verification
• Independent media auditing
• Cross-media measurement

Headquarters

HQ city

Levallois-perret

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership fees: CESP operates as a non-profit association funded through membership fees from advertisers, agencies, media sales houses, and trade associations in the advertising and communications industry.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CESP provides independent third-party auditing, certification, consulting, field control, and training services for audience measurement systems across all media types (TV, Internet, Radio, Press, Out-of-Home, Cinema). Its core deliverables include currency measurement audits (Médiamat, Internet Global, EAR>National, OneNext, CinExpert, Baromètre des Équipements), sector-specific certification programs (Drive-to-Trust, eRetail Data Trust, Digital Ad Trust), AdTech and Marketing Mix Modeling audits, and the CESP Academy professional training program covering 8 modules on audience measurement.

Product overview

CESP (Centre d'Étude des Supports de Publicité) is a non-profit industry body offering a portfolio of auditing, certification, training, and knowledge services for the advertising and media industry. The core offering centers on Audience Measurement Audits across all media types (TV via Médiamat, Internet, Radio via EAR>National and EAR>Insights, Press via OneNext, Out-of-home, and Cinema via CinExpert). CESP delivers certifications including Drive-to-Trust (mobile/location-based solutions), eRetail Data Trust (retail media), and Digital Ad Trust (digital advertising standards). The CESP Academy provides 8 professional training modules on audience measurement, adverification, Marketing Mix Modeling, and advertising attention. Additional services include AdTech audits (contextual/semantic analysis, unique IDs, DMPs), Marketing Mix Modeling deployment audits, and the CESP Forum knowledge platform for industry collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audience Measurement Audits Comprehensive auditing of currency audience measurement systems across all media types: TV (Médiamat panel), Internet (Internet Global), Radio (EAR>National, EAR>Insights), Press (OneNext), Out-of-Home, and Cinema (CinExpert), plus joint establishment survey Baromètre des Équipements. Delivered to media sales houses, advertisers, and agencies in France and internationally.
• Drive-to-Trust Certification Certification program accrediting technology players offering location-based segments and mobile-to-store activations. Launched in partnership with MMA (Mobile Marketing Association France) in 2020 and renamed Right Performance in October 2021. At least 24 certification waves completed.
• eRetail Data Trust Certification Certification framework for eRetail media, ensuring quality standards for advertising sales houses in the retail media sector. Developed at the request of Union des marques with participation from UDECAM, Alliance Digitale and Ilec. 3 advertising sales houses certified in wave 4 (December 2025).
• Digital Ad Trust Certification Certification for responsible digital advertising covering Display and/or Video, demonstrating commitment to viewability, brand safety, and fraud-free advertising standards. Developed with ACPM and six associations (SRI, UDECAM, UDA, GESTE, IAB, ARPP). 116 sites certified in wave 14 (October 2021).
• CESP Academy Training Professional training program with 8 modules covering audience measurement (Panorama des Mesures d'Audience), TV measurement, Radio measurement, Adverification, Marketing Mix Modeling, Media 360 landscape, Innovations in audience measurement, and Advertising attention measurement. Qualiopi-certified. 87% trainee satisfaction and 98% utility rating.
• Marketing Mix Modeling Deployment Audits Audit service for Marketing Mix Modeling deployment, helping advertisers, agencies and service providers evaluate their MMM models. Launched as a dedicated service in April 2025.
• AdTech Audits Comprehensive AdTech audits covering contextual and semantic analysis, drive-to-store solutions, unique IDs and advertising DMPs, AdTech in mobility, and Marketing Mix Modeling. Includes the DMP audit protocol created in 2018.
• Campaign Effectiveness Audits Auditing of campaign effectiveness measurement studies for advertisers, agencies, and media owners.
• Out-of-Home Advertising Measurement Audits Out-of-home (OOH) audience measurement auditing, including the Mobimétrie system by Ipsos for new innovative OOH measurement systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• 87% trainee satisfaction rate
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Alliance DigitalecoreGTM or Marketing Partner · 4 December 2025CESP is a partner of the 4th edition of the Digital Marketing Forum organized by Alliance Digitale, taking place on December 4, 2025 at 28 avenue George V, Paris. The event brings together over 800 digital marketing decision-makers and experts for a day focused on innovation, artificial intelligence, and responsibility.
• IREPcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 October 2024Joint development of the first white paper on advertising attention, bringing together representatives from all media, advertisers, and agencies. The white paper proposes common definitions, measurement indicators, and best practices for advertising attention measurement.
• SNPTVminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 12 April 2021CESP and SNPTV worked together to design a benchmark grid of Drive-to-Web solutions, developing methodological transparency for TV sales departments, advertisers, and media agencies.
• Mobile Marketing Association FrancecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2020Partnership with MMA France to launch the Drive-to-Trust certification in July 2020, accrediting technology players offering location-based segments and mobile-to-store activations. This collaboration has resulted in multiple certification waves with certified solutions across the industry.
• Union des marquescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAt the request of Union des marques, CESP developed certification standards in the field of eRetail media. The initiative was led by CESP's Olivier Daufresne and represents a cross-industry effort to establish certification standards for retail media measurement.
• UDECAMcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUDECAM (Union Des Entreprises de Conseil et Achat Média) joined the eRetail media certification development initiative led by CESP, contributing to the cross-industry effort for retail media certification standards.
• Media InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration with Media Institute for the 'Mastering the Media Landscape 360°' training course, combining CESP's audience measurement expertise with Media Institute's broader media strategy knowledge.
• ACPMcoreTechnology or IntegrationCollaboration with ACPM (Alliance pour les Chiffres de la Presse et des Médias) to develop the 'Digital Ad Trust' reference framework and launch website controls for digital advertising quality certification.
• OVHminorOthersData hosting service provider for CESP's website and member data, as stated in the privacy policy documentation.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• JIC (Joint Industry Committee) for Radio Audience Research - RAJAR: The UK radio audience measurement body. Like CESP, it is a joint industry committee funded by broadcasters, agencies, and advertisers to deliver impartial radio audience measurement with industry oversight.
• IFABC (International Federation of Audit Bureaux of Circulations): International federation bringing together media-audit organizations worldwide. CESP's press-readership audit work (OneNext) makes it a natural member and peer of IFABC, which sets standards for circulation and audience audits globally.
• BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board): The UK industry-owned audience measurement body for television and video viewing. Operates as a joint-industry governance body that commissions and oversees audience measurement — structurally analogous to CESP's role in France across multiple media types.
• ESOMAR: The global professional association for market, opinion, and social research. ESOMAR sets industry standards for research quality and ethics, paralleling CESP's role in setting and auditing audience measurement standards.
• Media Rating Council (MRC): The US non-profit industry body that audits and accredits media rating services. CESP is explicitly described as the French equivalent of the MRC, making it the closest direct peer — same mission, same non-profit structure, same audience-measurement audit focus, different geography.

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen: Global audience measurement incumbent and CESP auditee (Digital Ad Ratings). As the largest audience measurement vendor, Nielsen competes with and is audited by CESP, serving the same advertiser/agency buyer audience at a global scale.
• Ipsos (Audience Measurement division): Global market research firm that operates Mobimétrie (out-of-home measurement audited by CESP). Comparable to CESP in serving media industry measurement needs, with broader research scope and global footprint.
• Kantar Media: Major global audience measurement provider serving advertisers and agencies. While CESP audits and Kantar measures, both occupy the media measurement value chain serving the same advertisers and broadcasters across multiple markets.

Regional players

• Médiamétrie: France's leading audience measurement provider, which CESP audits (Médiamat, Internet Global, EAR). Although primarily a measurement provider rather than an auditor, Médiamétrie operates in the same French media-measurement ecosystem and is CESP's most significant auditee and counterpart.

Emerging players

• Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG): US-based cross-industry anti-fraud, anti-piracy, and brand-safety certification body for digital advertising. TAG's certification programs (e.g., Certified Against Fraud) overlap conceptually with CESP's Digital Ad Trust and Drive-to-Trust certifications, making it a thematic peer in ad-quality certification.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@cesp
• Xx.com/cespaudit

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 CESP