YouTube has drawn sharp criticism from the UK’s television and advertising industries after withdrawing from a landmark audience measurement initiative that aimed to integrate its viewership data with traditional TV ratings.

The platform’s owner, Google, sent legal cease-and-desist notices to Barb, the UK’s official TV audience measurement body, and its research partner Kantar Media, arguing that their use of its application programming interface to attribute viewing sessions to individual content creators violated YouTube’s terms of service.

This move forced the suspension of the measurement service just months after it was launched and immediately placed YouTube’s role in cross-platform ratings under intense scrutiny.

Barb, which had recently begun reporting viewing figures for two hundred selected YouTube channels on television sets alongside traditional broadcasters and streaming services, described the initiative as a world-first that expanded the industry’s understanding of how audiences consume video content.

Industry figures had welcomed this step as offering greater transparency and comparability for advertisers, particularly as conventional viewing patterns evolve and online platforms play an increasingly prominent role.

Early data from Barb suggested that YouTube viewing on TV devices was significant and that the platform’s audience on screens traditionally associated with broadcast television was growing.

Critics within the TV sector argued that YouTube’s withdrawal undermines efforts to produce a single, independent currency for comparing audiences across linear television, subscription streaming and digital video platforms, at a time when advertisers are seeking more robust insights into cross-media consumption.

The head of Thinkbox, an industry body representing major broadcasters, said it appeared contradictory for YouTube to court the benefits of being treated like television while resisting the associated levels of measurement scrutiny.

They also emphasised that transparent and consistent audience data is vital for effectively allocating advertising budgets amid changing viewer behaviours.

YouTube defended its decision by stating that third parties must respect the platform’s terms of service and policies when using its data for research and reporting, and that action was taken when those terms were breached.

The company also noted that independent measurement of YouTube’s UK audience continues through other recognised services, including data from firms such as Ipsos/Iris and Nielsen, which provide baseline metrics for advertisers.

As debates about how to accurately capture and compare global viewership across media platforms continue, regulatory and industry stakeholders in the UK are considering how to refine measurement frameworks in a rapidly evolving media landscape.