Time-shifted ratings on track for December launch Celia Johnson
Australia’s television ratings provider OzTAM said it’s on track to report time-shifted audience figures as part of its rating survey, with the first data coming at the end of December.
The new system being used to capture those who view programs in “real time” as well as those viewers who record programs and watch them after the live broadcast – called UNITAM – is being developed by AGB Nielsen Media Research, with the first results set to be available on December 28.
At a media briefing in Sydney this morning, Kate Inglis-Clark, CEO of OzTAM gave details on how the system will give networks data on the number of people viewing live broadcasts and those programs recorded and viewed another time via devices such as TiVo, Foxtel IQ and other PVRs.
However she said the ratings system would be “device agnostic” and include digital PVR devices as well as programs viewed after the live broadcast through a VCR or DVD recorder. Programs watched via a computer or devices including iPods will also be recorded at a later date.
David Ellem, CEO of AGB Nielsen Media Research said the survey will only include the minutes “viewed” as opposed to “what’s recorded.”
“If something is being played in fast forward or rewind, no sound is coming out, and that won’t be reported,” he said.
Advertisements being skipped will not register as “minutes viewed”, Ellem added.
Programs viewed live will be reported as “live”, those recorded but viewed within the same research day, which starts at 2am, will be referred to as “as live”, and programs recorded and then viewed up to seven days after the live broadcast will be reported as “time shift.”
Two sets of data will be released to TV networks daily, as opposed to the single set of ratings data currently. In the morning both “live” and “as live” viewing for the previous day will be reported, with the afternoon data including all time shifted viewing over the past week.
The number of homes surveyed under OzTAM’s metropolitan panel, which currently sits as, 3035, will remain unchanged, but homes with PVR devices will be included.
Inglis-Clark said households with PVRs will account for about 25% to 28% of the total panel. She would not be drawn on the anticipated growth in audience numbers when the new system is implemented. However Ellem said that in the US and UK markets about 6% of total TV viewing is time shifted.
