Barb has launched the third phase of its API, promising faster response times, greater reliability and new programme and spot reach endpoints for the TV audience measurement industry.

API 3.0, developed for Barb by RSMB, builds on the functionality of the previous iteration rather than replacing it. All existing features are retained. The audience measurement specialist says the new version delivers three core enhancements.

The first is performance. API 3.0 offers significantly faster response times and is more reliable than version two, according to Barb. The second is a set of new programme and spot reach endpoints, provided through rapid reach calculations. These give users quicker access to audience reach figures for individual programmes and advertising spots.

The third enhancement is structural. API 3.0 now operates within the Barb Data Hub, which serves as the foundational data source and cloud platform for the API. All data served through API 3.0 is pulled from the Data Hub, a design choice Barb says ensures consistency of output across its distribution channels.

Khaled El Serafy, Barb's Director of Data and Technology, positioned the release as part of a broader data distribution strategy rather than an isolated technical refresh.

"Version three of the Barb API is an important element of Barb's data distribution strategy. Our aim is to make Barb data more accessible, offering the industry choice in how Barb data can be ingested quickly, reliably, and in a ready-to-use format. We will continue to work to update the API based on our users' feedback, along with exploring cloud data shares and agentic AI as parallel future-focused data distribution systems," he said.

The commercial terms remain unchanged. The API is free to access for Barb underwriters and clients holding a full licence, keeping the barrier to adoption low for the organisations already subscribing to Barb's measurement services.

The release continues an incremental roadmap that began in January 2023, when Barb launched the first iteration of its API. The move to a third phase within roughly three and a half years reflects the growing demand among broadcasters, advertisers and agencies for programmatic access to audience data rather than fixed report-based delivery.

El Serafy's remarks also signal where the roadmap heads next. Beyond further API updates driven by user feedback, Barb is exploring cloud data shares and agentic AI as parallel data distribution systems — an indication that the organisation sees API access as one of several routes to market for its measurement data rather than the only one.

For Barb's clients and underwriters, the immediate practical gain from API 3.0 is speed: faster response times, more reliable service, and reach calculations delivered through dedicated programme and spot endpoints, all drawing on a single consistent data source in the Barb Data Hub.