Barb is a privately owned company based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1981, and with an estimated 30 employees, the company functions as the central body responsible for delivering the UK’s television audience ratings. Originally established by major broadcasters and pay TV operators in the UK, Barb's primary output provides data that advertisers, agencies, and broadcasters utilize to support the planning and buying of advertising campaigns and to assess their brand and sales outcomes.
Barb released data from its Establishment Survey on September 2, 2026, indicating that 20.7 million UK homes, or 69.7%, had access to a subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) service in Q2 2026. This figure represented a slight decrease from 20.8 million UK homes in Q1 2026, despite Disney+ adding 1.1 million UK homes during the second quarter. Previously, on July 30, 2026, Barb appointed Jen McLevey as its new Head of Strategic Developments, a newly created role. McLevey will oversee the delivery of the organisation’s major strategic and operational projects, serving as a key link between Barb’s stakeholders and research contractors to ensure project delivery aligns with industry expectations and contractual commitments. She joins Barb after 11 years at TRP Research, where she most recently served as Associate Director and managed complex research projects, including the development of metadata and monitoring service TRP Helix.
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