OzTAM is introducing connected TV (CTV) co-viewing data to its Video Player Measurement (VPM) Report.
This enhancement evolves the VPM service from a 1:1 people-to-device measure for broadcaster video on demand (BVOD) to reflect that people often watch BVOD content together on a CTV.
Co-viewing expands on the demographic profiles that OzTAM introduced to the VPM service in early 2019 and is an important component of VOZ, Australia’s forthcoming all-screen, cross-platform planning and reporting database.
CTV viewing accounts for approximately 50 per cent of BVOD consumption, and up to 95 per cent of that occurs with one, two or three people watching.
Accordingly, the introduction of co-viewing data reveals an additional 20-25 per cent of BVOD viewing that was not previously reported.
OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer said: “We know from our technology, the robust OzTAM panel and our demographic modelling that many people watch TV together on the biggest and best screen in the home.
“Increasingly, that’s a connected TV, as 48 per cent of Australian households now have at least one.
“VPM co-viewing enables us to report that shared BVOD consumption, taking us beyond a 1:1 people-to-device ratio to now model the size of overall BVOD viewership, and uncovering 20-25 per cent of the BVOD audience that until now was not reported.”
With co-viewing, a new people-based ‘BVOD Audience’ figure replaces the device-based ‘VPM Rating’ in the BVOD top program reports posted to OzTAM’s website.
Similarly, the ‘stream starts’ (device) metric has been replaced with ‘BVOD Reach’ (people count).
OzTAM’s VPM co-viewing and demographic models have been developed by Milton Data.
Mr Peiffer added co-viewing is a key input to Australia’s forthcoming Total TV database, Virtual Australia (‘VOZ’).
“Co-viewing provides a valuable new dimension to the BVOD audience, expanding on the VPM demographic profiles OzTAM introduced early last year and illustrating the overall size and reach of broadcast viewing across all devices that VOZ reveals,” Mr Peiffer said.
Currently in the final stages of preparation for launch, Virtual Australia (or, ‘VOZ’) is the foundation of Australia’s new Total TV reporting standard, bringing together broadcast viewing on TV sets (OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings) and connected devices (OzTAM’s VPM Report) to provide all-screen, cross-platform planning and reporting for Australia’s television industry.
