ANA Expanded Cross-Media Measurement Service
Advertisers can now better track reach across digital and television platforms to lower excessive frequency.
Updated on Sept. 30, 2026 in Advertising
Live Poll
Do you trust that companies tracking your media habits across different formats serves your best interests?
The Association of National Advertisers has expanded its Aquila measurement service, aiming to provide a unified view of consumer media usage. The platform currently supports 28 member advertisers, with plans to reach 70 members within the next year.
Why it matters
By integrating log-level data from major digital platforms and TV measurement providers, the service allows marketers to identify and reduce redundant advertising frequency. This shift helps businesses optimize budgets by moving toward a consumer-centric rather than media-centric reach strategy.
The Association of National Advertisers currently counts 28 paying member advertisers using Aquila, with a goal to scale that base to 70 clients within the next year. The platform facilitates payments through either direct platform fees or fractional advertising contributions.
The players
Association of National Advertisers
An industry trade group that represents the interests of marketers and establishes standards for advertising practices.
Meta
A global technology company operating major social media platforms and acting as a primary data provider for media measurement.
A dominant internet technology firm that provides advertising infrastructure and contributes data to cross-media measurement initiatives.
The details
Aquila processes log file data from partners like Meta, Google, Amazon, and TikTok alongside syndicated data from Comscore for linear TV and Samba for CTV. The service employs a virtual ID methodology to track consumer exposure, allowing advertisers to compare reach across disparate channels. By aggregating this data, the tool enables operators to identify overlapping audiences and cut excess ad spend across YouTube, Meta, and broadcast television.
Timeline
May 2026: The CEO announced a fractional advertising contribution payment model.
September 29, 2026: A panel discussion was held at the ANA conference in Chicago.
Fall 2026: TikTok and Amazon are expected to be integrated into the platform.
September 2027: The projected target date for Aquila to reach 70 member advertisers.
Market Landscape
The expansion reflects a broader shift toward centralized measurement as traditional tracking methods lose efficacy. This service follows a pattern of industry-led initiatives designed to harmonize data in a fragmented landscape marked by the decline of third-party tracking.
Operators should evaluate their current media buying tools to determine if existing cross-platform reporting adequately accounts for frequency overlap. Integrating services like Aquila may help refine budget allocation by reducing redundant spend across major digital and TV channels.
The takeaway
The move toward unified cross-media measurement signals an industry pivot toward prioritizing consumer-centric reach over platform-specific metrics. Marketers should monitor whether these measurement standards gain enough traction to become the baseline for their upcoming annual media planning cycles.
What happens next
Integration of TikTok and Amazon into the platform is expected to occur in Fall 2026, with the membership target of 70 advertisers slated for September 2027.
Further reading
For broader trends in industry reach tracking, visit the Advertising section.
Source note: This article includes information reported by MediaPost.
Live Poll
Do you trust that companies tracking your media habits across different formats serves your best interests?
