The Association for Media Research (AIMC), together with IAB Spain and the group of market associations, has opened the process to select the next digital audience measurement system in Spain.

The publication of the technical specifications marks the formal start of the competition that will designate the new digital meter recommended by the industry, a formula that the Spanish market maintains compared to the concept of an official meter. The selected supplier will replace the current framework agreement, which was valid until December 31, 2025 and was extended with an extension according to which Gfk is the recommended meter for the duration of the tender process in 2026. The new chosen operator will remain in place for an initial period of three years, extendable to two more.

In an environment in which digital consumption is distributed across multiple platforms, devices and formats, the chosen system will define how audiences are quantified and how results are compared between media, agencies and advertisers.

A hybrid model: census data and multi-device panel

The document establishes as a central requirement a hybrid measurement system that combines census data with a multi-device user panel.
The census component must collect all quantifiable traffic through technologies such as measurement tags, SDKs or pixels installed on websites and applications. This system will allow the real volume of digital consumption to be measured.
The panel, for its part, will provide the sociodemographic dimension necessary to interpret the data. The document recommends a minimum size of 5,000 multi-device panelists, with the capacity to record user behavior on computers, smartphones and tablets.

The combination of both systems will allow what the specifications call “humanization of data”that is, converting digital traffic into estimates of real people with variables such as age, gender, autonomous community or socioeconomic level.

The model thus places the individual as the central reference of the system. The universe under study is defined as people aged 4 or more residing in Spain who access the Internet at least once a month, with minimum representation by autonomous communities and the possibility of descending to provincial levels when the sample size allows it. This design seeks to ensure that digital measurement reflects the real behavior of the connected population and allows geographic analyzes relevant to the advertising market.

Complete coverage of the digital ecosystem

The system should cover as many sites and digital platforms as possible and establish clear reliability thresholds for data publication.
In this sense, the measurement must cover:

• Web browsing
• Mobile applications
• Distribution of content on different platforms
• Social networks
• Digital audio and video formats

The objective is to capture the real consumption of content regardless of the device or access channel.

On the other hand, the document defines a set of mandatory metrics that the system must offer for different digital environments. Thus, on the web, the system must measure reach, unique users, visits, page views, consumption time and cross-device ratios. In mobile applications, you will need to record unique users, sessions, consumption time, and non-human traffic control. In digital video, metrics such as valid views, playback time and viewing quality criteria are established. And in audio, valid reproductions and minutes consumed must be measured.

The document also introduces a specific block for digital advertising, with metrics such as impressions, coverage, frequency, digital GRPs, advertising visibility and detection of invalid traffic.

Elimination of non-human traffic and adaptation to the cookieless environment

The system must incorporate mechanisms to eliminate invalid traffic, including bots and other automated systems. This filtering must be audited and documented to guarantee the reliability of the data.
Furthermore, the methodology must be adapted to the current technological context, including cookieless environments and new user identification models.

And transparency is one of the central principles of the document. The selected supplier must submit the system to continuous independent audit, designated by the AIMC Digital Technical Committee. The audit reports must be available to the control bodies and to the clients of the service.
The system must also comply with data protection regulations and cybersecurity standards aligned with international frameworks such as ISO 27001 or NIST.

The document also establishes that the data generated by the system may not be marketed outside of the contracted service.

Additional requirements that will be valued positively

In addition to the mandatory requirements, the specifications contemplate a series of capabilities that are not essential but will be positively valued in the proposals.

These include:

• Integration with data clean rooms to facilitate secure data crossing
• Methodological approaches to analyze closed platforms or walled gardens
• Use of advanced statistical models or artificial intelligence to improve estimates
• Advanced data visualization and exploitation tools

These capabilities reflect the desire that the system can evolve with the market and adapt to future technological developments.
The document also contemplates the possibility of developing a digital panel owned by the industry in the future, managed through AIMC. This panel would strengthen the sociodemographic base used to enrich census data and facilitate the development of cross-media measurement projects. This would be a strategic evolution of the system that would reinforce the independence of the market in terms of measurement.

In addition to the methodological and technical requirements, the specifications also include economic conditions that the candidate companies must meet. The proposals must detail the cost model of the service, the licensing scheme for the different types of clients and the conditions of access to the system for smaller media.

The document also establishes that candidates must present an economic plan that guarantees the long-term sustainability of the system, including forecasts for the evolution of rates and the financing structure of the service. This aspect will be part of the evaluation of the contest along with the technical and methodological criteria.

Process schedule

The contest will follow the following calendar:

March 9, 2026
Publication of the technical specifications

March 20, 2026
Reception of queries from candidates

April 24, 2026
End of the deadline for submitting offers

May 4-8, 2026
Presentation and defense of proposals

June 2026
Resolution of the contest and choice of the recommended meter

In a statement issued to announce the tender specifications, the AIMC thanked “especially the work carried out by the Digital Technical Committee which, representing the different sectors of our industry, has worked and continues to work with great dedication and professionalism for the best development of this contest.” This committee has been made up of the following people:

• Santiago Gómez (Atresmedia)
• Fernando Hernáiz (Mediaset)
• Maria Alvarez (Hello)
• Virginia Vides (Atresmedia radio)
• Jordi Catalá (Regional Radios – CCMA)
• Sergio Martínez Otero (Publicis)
• Diego Rosillo (Dentsu)
• Juan Francisco Bermejo (Hurry)
• Alfonso Puras (Vocento)
• Rodrigo Laso (Eldiario.es)
• Jaime Agulló (AEA)
• José Manuel Sierra (AIMC Technical Commission – Boreal Media)
• Pablo Alonso (AIMC)
• Victor Escribano (AIMC)

The selected supplier must develop the system and present a first operational product – at least in minimum viable format – before January 1, 2027.

More info: Technical specifications for the competition for a new digital meter in Spain