Timely

September 3rd may prove a key date in television history. The UK's provider of tv viewing figures, BARB, will launch their first weekly report giving data for online viewing.

BARB members have all embedded some trackable code in their various programmes, and Kantar Media have developed a way of collating that at device level, be it a laptop, desktop, tablet or smartphone, belonging to people who live in the homes that make up part of the BARB panel.

The stage that follows is called Project Dovetail, which will merge the online stats with the traditional BARB figures for tv viewing, collated from 5,000 representative households with meters attached to each device in the home, and special remotes for each member of the household to sign in.

Dovetail is a bit like creating a new Top 20 for records, merging downloads and streaming with physical record sales - and it'll take a bit of getting used to. But it'll create a more level playing field to judge competing claims, and, if it comes in time, will really inform the Charter Renewal debate.