CIM ONE: Transition to consumer-centric measurement – article The Media Leader 08/05/2026

With CIM One, the CIM aims to evolve towards a more cross-media way of measuring. Whereas media studies today still largely exist side by side, CIM One should bring together different data sources, panels and studies within one overarching framework, with the consumer and their media usage as the starting point.

The CIM has been working for several years on the development of CIM One, the sector’s future cross-media measurement environment. During a recent roadshow, the CIM provided an update on further development and the next steps towards 2027.

“The intention of CIM One is to integrate all studies into each other and thus create a single research framework, hence the CIM in CIM One,” said Koenraad Deridder, CEO of the CIM.

Changing media landscape
According to the CIM, this evolution is necessary due to changing media consumption and the increasing digitalisation of the media landscape. Whereas media studies today are still largely organised per medium, CIM One aims to evolve towards a more cross-media approach in which video, audio, publishing and digital platforms are interconnected.

From media-centric to consumer-centric
During the presentation, the CIM referred to the changing way campaigns are built today. An average campaign now contains nine different touchpoints, spread across various platforms and screens. As a result, measuring each medium separately is increasingly insufficient to map the full consumer journey.
Today, many measurements are still conducted medium by medium, while advertisers want to be able to follow consumers across different platforms. This also creates gaps in the current measurement landscape. For example, digital studies exist, but they are not always integrated with other media measurements. International platforms such as Netflix, YouTube or Spotify are also still only limitedly included in existing studies.

With CIM One, the CIM therefore aims to evolve towards a more cross-media and consumer-centric approach.

The five building blocks of CIM One



The functioning of CIM One is based on five key building blocks.
A first is the Golden Standard, the official description of the Belgian population. It determines the size of the population and forms the reference framework within which every Belgian is given a virtual counterpart in the so-called virtual population.

A second building block is the One Panel. In the existing TV panel, a router meter was added that also measures digital behaviour, alongside measurement via a smartphone panel (XMP panel). The aim is to centralise as many measurements as possible with the same individuals, creating one integrated dataset. In Flanders, this setup has largely been rolled out, while the French-speaking panel is still under construction.
The third module is Data Exchange. The idea is to add additional data to panelisation in order to increase granularity. For example, the CIM measures around 16,000 different podcast episodes per month, which cannot be measured per episode within a panel. By adding extra data sources, this measurement can be further refined.

The fourth building block is the Personification Engine, where large datasets are personalised and restructured, with respect for anonymisation, so that they become usable for analysis.

The final building block is the Virtual Population. All data and models are brought together in one common reference framework. For every Belgian, a virtual counterpart is constructed, reflecting both socio-demographic profile and media behaviour.

Phased launch



The rollout of CIM One takes place in phases. In recent years, the focus has been on setting up the new measurements and preparing data flows. New measurements are first built in parallel with existing studies, without immediate publication.

Once quality and stability are sufficient, they are gradually converted into official currencies. The first publications within Total Video are expected from January 2027, followed by Total Audio and Total Publishing during 2027 (April and October).

New software for CIM One
In addition to building the system, the CIM is also developing new software to support the entire market. For this, a request for information is first launched to explore which partners may qualify. This is done in collaboration with a task force with representatives from agencies and media sales houses, who provide input on expectations and needs. This is followed by a request for proposal, after which one partner will ultimately be selected to further develop the system.

The new measurement with CIM One
The biggest difference compared to the current system lies in the digital component. CIM One provides a much more complete view of media consumption, where different platforms and channels are analysed together. This creates a broader and more integrated understanding of what is happening within campaigns and how consumers behave across different media.

Article Femke Potoms – The Media Leader 08/05/2026