With the spread of viral content and the ability of users to embed and pass content through endless channels across the web, publishers have found it increasingly frustrating to track content that doesn't live in one place.

The solution may have arrived with the debut of comScore's new Extended Web measurement, a product that enables publishers to track metrics for videos, social media apps and widgets across the internet. For example, Extended Web would be able to track ad metrics for The New York Times' new widget, which is embedded on several blogs.

The product is the first of its kind, giving the metrics firm a leg up on its competitors. It's also something publishers have been clamoring for, according to the company. "With so much distributed content being leveraged for syndication or advertising delivery, both advertisers and publishers have demonstrated an interest in better understanding the reach of these extended content offerings and the nature of their audiences,” comScore VP Linda Boland Abraham told MediaWeek.