• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 15, 2010

Or EGRPs, or IGRPs, or whatever you want to call them. The concept, raised by OMMA Video media buyers panel moderator and Break Media's Andrew Budkofsky, is whether online video can or will embrace TV's GRP as the underlying currency for advertising deals.

Budkofsky says he likes the concept, because it is one that is easy for "clients" (ie. advertisers) to get their minds around. It's something they understand from planning, buying and posting TV advertising buys.

Omnicom's Joe Weaver didn't necessarily agree.

"I think it's trying to fit the TV model/the TV metric into the online space," he said, adding, "I don't think it works."

"You're not buying ratings points. You're buying impressions," he continued, "and that has a completely different mathematical function behind it. It's a completely different mode of thinking."

Starcom MediaVest Group's Jonathan Hsia agreed, noting that if anything, the trend is that online video is influencing TV's core metrics, not the other way around.

"They're not just buying GRPs in television," he said. "They are buying sponsorships. They are buying content wraps. The television folks aren't even relying on it the way they used to."