Celebrating Comscore’s 25th Anniversary

When Comscore was founded in 1999, our industry looked starkly different than it does today.

The year we launched, there was no Retail Media or CTV, and none of us spent time managing multiple streaming subscriptions. Netflix's monthly subscription offering was sending DVDs in the mail and people primarily watched traditional TV. Digital commerce was in its infancy, with “internet” ad spend at just $1.9 billion. In 1999, annual ad spend in the U.S. was $87.5 billion. Now it is approaching $369 billion.

Comscore, too, has changed over the past 25 years, evolving from a provider of digital market intelligence to a trusted partner for planning, transacting and evaluating media across all platforms from digital to linear TV, over-the-top (OTT) and movie viewership. Today, we are a powerful and trusted third-party source for reliable measurement of the modern media ecosystem.

What has not changed is our purpose.

Since the day we opened our doors, our north star has been to solve the most complex challenges in media. Back in 1999, it was audience measurement in a still nascent digital environment. Today, it is identifying, engaging with, and measuring audiences in a diverse and highly fragmented media landscape. We are now at a state of peak consumer cross-media convergence, and the role of measurement is evolving from a retroactive view of media consumption to a proactive technology partnership, ensuring both buy and sell side entities have the best data at their disposal to make in-flight media work as hard as it can, reduce waste and ensure a great consumer experience. This is the new reality and one that Comscore is well placed to lead forward as a movement.

We know that change is a constant in our industry, but what matters most is consistency and dedication to purpose. If you are true to your mission, then change can always be conquered.

However, evolution does not occur in a vacuum. It is the result of dialogue, an exchange of ideas, pushing back against assumptions, dreaming big, and innovating not just for today's needs but also for tomorrow's challenges. What was true then, as it is now, is that for that to happen, we need you, our partners and colleagues to continue to be engaged with us on new ideas and services for this fast-moving modern media landscape.

As Comscore enters its next quarter century, come join us. Bring us your vision for your business, your hopes, your needs, and your concerns. Collectively, let’s engage in the exchange of ideas that not only helps surface what the advertising and media industries may look like in the years ahead, but fosters innovations that enable us to maximize its potential.

To my colleagues at Comscore and to our partners and friends, thank you for your hard work, dedication and the support that has allowed us to grow these past 25 years. We’ll be celebrating some of our people, partners and innovation throughout July this year with a program of events and insights.

As we move forward together, we will respond to the most complex challenges in the media ecosystem – whatever they might be in the years ahead – with you, our clients and partners at the center of everything we do.

We look forward to serving you for the next 25 years.

Kind regards,

Jon Carpenter
Chief Executive Officer
Comscore