Will we finally get pricing information?

I was recently briefed by SQAD (pronounced like squad.) They have been around in the offline world for a while, and provide pricing data to advertisers. They recently briefed me on a new project they are working on that would bring this service to the web. You might be thinking it's great that someone finally will report the CPMs for thousands of websites. And it is...however...

"What is the CPM for...?" is the most common inquiry I receive. And almost always, my answer is, "It depends." Even with a service that reports on average CPM by site, the answer will still be "it depends." Sites are complex, and pricing varies widely from sponsorship spots to remnant inventory. An average number is always going to tell an incomplete story.
Despite all this, I am looking forward to this service and do think it might help advertisers at least compare overall pricing for different sites. It will also shed some light on which sites sell more at premium rate card prices and which are being dragged down by lower remnant pricing. So now I'll say "It depends, but if you are looking for an average, there is this new service..."