Barb names Caroline Baxter chief operating officer

UK’s audience measurement outfit Barb has appointed Caroline Baxter as chief operating officer.

Caroline Baxter (Source: Barb)

Baxter who has served research operations director since joining Barb in 2022, has been responsible for synthesising what suppliers can deliver with evolving data requirements from subscribers.

The promotion will see her will take on more organisational leadership duties, alongside her existing management of the in-house research and data science team.

She will be responsible for ensuring progress on Barb’s strategic priorities to extend its reporting of total campaign performance, extend measurement of total viewing across all streaming services and future-proof Barb’s data access.

Barb said its priorities for this year include delivering significant developments across new metering technology for Barb’s reporting panel, due to expand across 7,000 UK homes or approximately 16,000 people. According to the company, it marks the largest-ever increase in reporting sample since Barb’s launch in 1981.

In Baxter’s new post she will work alongside Barb’s chief executive, Justin Sampson, who said: “Our most recent customer-satisfaction survey shows confidence in Barb’s ability to deal with the future has reached a new high watermark. This bears testimony to the great progress we’ve made in delivering an audience-centric measurement strategy. Since joining, Caroline has brought a tangible energy and focus to how the Barb team brings service developments to market. The Barb board didn’t hesitate in its support of her promotion.”

Baxter added: “Our goal is to deliver a comprehensive and trusted measurement of viewing, regardless of delivery platform, for our subscribers. I’m proud to step into this new role, building on my work over the last two years, to lead delivery of the next generation of TV viewing measurement.”