Award

Provision of industry TV audience viewing data

OFCOM

This public procurement record has 3 releases in its history.

Award

02 Feb 2026 at 09:16

UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Award

16 Jan 2026 at 14:49

UK6 - Contract Award Notice
Award

16 Jan 2026 at 14:17

UK5 - Transparency Notice
Summary of the contracting process

Ofcom, headquartered in London, has successfully completed a procurement process for the "Provision of industry TV audience viewing data." This procurement falls under the research services industry category and is pertinent to UK regions, particularly London. The procurement method employed was a direct award, given the unique supply of services by the Broadcasters Audience Research Board (BARB) with the procurement stage now at Award. The contract began on 2nd February 2026 and will run until the end of the year, carrying a gross contract value of £1,205,334. This initiative assists Ofcom in fulfilling its regulatory duties, in alignment with the Communications Act and Media Act legislation.

This procurement presents an opportunity for firms engaged in media analytics and research services who aim to enhance their growth trajectory by acquiring regulatory data contracts. Although the specific procurement was a direct award due to the exclusivity of BARB's intellectual property and data generation capabilities, businesses with unique offerings in niche areas of media research may find similar future tenders valuable. In this case, large-scale organisations similar to BARB with unique data analytics offerings will be better positioned to compete effectively for such exclusive contracts.

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Notice Information

Notice Title

Provision of industry TV audience viewing data

Notice Description

Provision of industry TV audience viewing data with permission for Ofcom to publish this for any regulatory purpose. Ofcom requires this data in order to provide evidence in its regulatory duties in relation to PSB, aspects of Comms Act responsibilities and the recent Media Act legislation.

Procurement Information

BARB is the TV industry body responsible for producing TV audience data mainly for measuring advertising and producing a trading currency for the broadcasters. Measurement of programme/channel viewing is an associated benefit of the currency. BARB is formed and run as a non-profit by the main broadcasters and the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising (IPA). Ofcom requires the data in order to provide evidence in its regulatory duties in relation to PSB, aspects of Comms Act responsibilities and the recent Media Act legislation. There are no other suppliers of this data

Notice Details

Publication & Lifecycle

Open Contracting ID
ocds-h6vhtk-0607bc
Publication Source
Find A Tender Service
Latest Notice
https://www.find-tender.service.gov.uk/Notice/008744-2026
Current Stage
Award
All Stages
Award

Procurement Classification

Notice Type
UK7 - Contract Details Notice
Procurement Type
Standard
Procurement Category
Services
Procurement Method
Direct
Procurement Method Details
Direct award
Tender Suitability
Not specified
Awardee Scale
Large

Common Procurement Vocabulary (CPV)

CPV Divisions

73 - Research and development services and related consultancy services

CPV Codes

73110000 - Research services

Notice Value(s)

Tender Value
Not specified
Lots Value
Not specified
Awards Value
£1,004,445 £1M-£10M
Contracts Value
£1,004,445 £1M-£10M

Notice Dates

Publication Date
2 Feb 20261 months ago
Submission Deadline
Not specified
Future Notice Date
Not specified
Award Date
14 Jan 20262 months ago
Contract Period
2 Feb 2026 - 31 Dec 2026 6-12 months
Recurrence
Not specified

Notice Status

Tender Status
Complete
Lots Status
Complete
Awards Status
Active, Pending
Contracts Status
Active

Buyer & Supplier

Contracting Authority (Buyer)

Main Buyer
OFCOM
Contact Name
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Email
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →
Contact Phone
Available with D3 Tenders Premium →

Buyer Location

Locality
LONDON
Postcode
SE1 9HA
Post Town
South East London
Country
England
Major Region (ITL 1)
TLI London
Basic Region (ITL 2)
TLI4 Inner London - East
Small Region (ITL 3)
TLI44 Lewisham and Southwark
Delivery Location
Not specified
Local Authority
Southwark
Electoral Ward
Borough & Bankside
Westminster Constituency
Bermondsey and Old Southwark

Supplier Information

Number of Suppliers
1
Supplier Name

BROADCASTERS AUDIENCE RESEARCH BOARD (BARB

Further Information

Notice Documents

Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS)

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The Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) is a framework designed to increase transparency and access to public procurement data in the public sector. It is widely used by governments and organisations worldwide to report on procurement processes and contracts. 

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