The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) wants social media platforms to agree on what a view is. Right now, each one counts views differently. The trade group made its case in a new report titled “The Creator Economy’s Next Chapter,” published Nov. 10.
Who is the IAB?
The IAB is a U.S. trade group that lobbies for the online advertising industry. Founded in 1996, it’s based in New York. It also writes many of the technical standards ad buyers rely on. Its members include big names from media and tech around the world.
Top issue
The report draws on a survey of 53 industry leaders, fielded from July to September 2026 with research firm FrontRow Insights. Interviews by the IAB’s Creator Economy Board also shaped the findings. One problem stood out above the rest. Sixty-seven percent of respondents named measurement as something that isn’t working.
The core complaint is simple. Each platform counts a view differently. That makes shared reporting hard. It also makes it tough to plan campaigns across channels or to compare creator content with TV, the report says.
Why are views important?
Views are how brands judge whether a campaign worked. More views means more people saw the message. Brands often pay creators and influencers based on those numbers.
The trouble starts when platforms use different rules to count a view. Some critics claim certain platforms inflate their numbers. If that’s true, advertisers may be overpaying.
For video creators, this hits the rate card. On one platform, a view might mean a few seconds of autoplay. On another, it could mean someone watched long enough to hear your sponsor read. Put those numbers side by side in a media kit and a brand has no fair way to compare them. A common standard would make your numbers easier to defend.
Common definition
Measurement providers see the problem up close. All six who took the survey picked a common view definition as a top priority, according to the report.
The IAB gave respondents 11 possible standards to tackle first. Two-thirds (66%) chose a shared definition of a view, paired with exposure metrics that work across platforms. That level of agreement gives the group a clear place to start.
Next steps
The IAB plans to work with the Media Rating Council (MRC) and other “engaged industry bodies” on the issue. Views come first. Impressions, reach and watch time are also on the list. The group hopes to land commitments from one or two platforms in the first year. No platform has signed on yet.
The report is the first piece of research from the IAB’s new Trusted Creator Brand Deal Initiative. That effort launched alongside the report. Its goal is to build the shared infrastructure behind creator brand deals.
What we think
The confidence gap is huge. Platforms feel good about their own numbers, with 67% saying they’re very confident in them. Creator marketing agencies came in at 56%. Not one brand or talent management respondent said the same.
That split shows how tough this job will be. Still, the survey found real common ground on where to begin. If the IAB can turn that into a standard platforms adopt, creators win. A view would mean the same thing everywhere. Pricing a sponsorship would become a lot less of a guessing game.
