Networks and OzTAM look to include online TV ratings
Television ratings provider OzTAM could start measuring and reporting on consumers’ online TV consumption as early as 2011.
The ratings provider, which will introduce time-shift TV viewing from the start of the 2010 ratings period, is now looking at how its measurement technology could be used to capture the network’s online catch-up TV services.
Kate Inglis-Clark, CEO of OzTAM, told B&T Today that discussions have already taken place with its key stakeholders about including catch-up TV services as part of its television ratings, as this mode of consumption gains traction, but said this service is not planned to roll out for another two to three years. Measuring TV consumption on mobile phones is also on the horizon.
“Prior to introducing time-shift viewing, we talked with our stakeholders about the priorities they had for enhancements of the service, and time-shift viewing was the top priority so we acted on that first,” she said.
“But when we were preparing our systems for the change to time-shift viewing we were mindful of the changes to traditional TV consumption, including watching on a PC, and are now looking at how AGB (Nielsen Media Research) may further adapt its measuring equipment for those future opportunities.
“So it’s definitely on our horizon and once we put our time-shift viewing into place that, of course, will take more of our focus.”
Inglis-Clark added the move to measuring online TV consumption is not merely a “technology issue” and will require a review of how panels are designed and how the data is reported in an accurate and meaningful way.
“We need to consider how we design our panels so we can capture the viewing of the person watching television on their computer, because that is a different style of watching television, and then there’s the reporting aspect in terms of how will this data be used and how it might be folded into a service such as ours,” she said.
The introduction of time-shift ratings from December 27, which will include data on those programs recorded and viewed another time via devices such as Tivo and Foxtel IQ, will see two sets of data released to TV networks daily, one capturing “live” and “as live” (recorded and viewed on the same day) data, and another including a combination of live, as live and time-shifted data. Inglis-Clarke anticipates the measurement of online TV will see data reported both separately and combined with the other ratings data to give network’s a holistic audience picture.
Seven Network spokesman Simon Francis welcomed the move to including online TV as part of the ratings.
“The ability to capture data which reflects the true viewing of TV programs can only be of benefit to free-to-air television,” he said.
“We’ll see it with the time-shifted viewing data, with the uplift in viewing for FTA programs which will make them even more valuable than they are now for advertisers, and the move to capturing viewing that’s not on your traditional television set, will further enhance the sector.”
Developments in Australia are on par with those in markets including the US, which are also looking at ways of reporting on online TV consumption.
