Seven and Ten flout rules for new digital audience reporting to claim inflated numbers
Ten has today tried to boost its audience by including the new catch-up numbers.
The Seven and Ten Networks have flouted specific OzTAM guidelines to inflate their audience figures for major franchises such as Molly, My Kitchen Rules and The X-Files by including new cross-device measurement numbers, which only went live for the first time this morning.
TV measurement body OzTAM specifically warned broadcasters not to add the regular TV viewing numbers and the new video player measurement figures – which measures streaming and catch-up TV on devices – as it launched the long-awaited online metric today stating: “The two are derived through different methodologies so they cannot be added.”
Seven’s literature promoting a combined number today.
Today Ten touted a 39% boost in the audience of The X-Files when time-shifted and VPM viewing was combined, while Seven did a similar thing for flagship shows Molly and My Kitchen Rules. Nine was the only FTA network not to combine the VPM and TV data.
Related content: Are TV networks packing apples with oranges? How OzTAM’s digital catch-up TV ratings work
OzTAM guidelines explain why there are a number of flaws in adding together VPM and TV audience data, not least that TV ratings measure people while the new VPM ratings measure only devices, and the fact that the VPM rating is a national figure with no adverts shown during the broadcasts counted in the timings.
In it’s explainer notes OzTAM stresses: “it’s not like-for-like”.
Source: Oztam VPM Guidelines.
Despite these guidelines a spokesman for Ten denied there was a problem in what the network had done, claiming its customers were “sophisticated” and able to recognise that today’s release was only stage one and that the Oztam VPM product would continue to evolve.
“Like some other networks today, we are presenting information on the total audience and reach of our programs, information that advertisers and agencies have been seeking for some time now,” said the Ten spokesman.
“We are confident that our customers are sophisticated enough to understand that this is Stage One of changes to the OzTAM system, which will continue to evolve.”
However, a spokeswoman for OzTAM acknowledged both networks were in breach of the rules and said the agency would “reinforce” the rules with them.
“The VPM Report is a new service and people are still getting up to speed with it,” said an OzTAM spokeswoman, acknowledging that the TV Networks had broken the rules.
“OzTAM will reinforce this with the broadcasters. Again, it’s only day one.”
Seven declined to comment, but it is understood that it will not use the combined TV and VPM numbers from tomorrow.
Nic Christensen
What is difference between TV Encores and VPM?
Is TV Encores a ‘total commenced stream’ figure? and VPM an average of total minutes divided by program minutes?
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TV encores would be broadcast repeats in off-peak and multichannels I think?
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Good to see the TV networks are trying to change. Now if they would only change their outdated broadcast model and stop trying to force it down the markets throat.
Fair to say the drop off in audience they experienced in key demos was not due to the market being unable to consume their programs on a mobile. More like the growth of SVOD long form and short form AVOD.
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ah – makes sense, thanks Anita.
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Russ Hanneman said it best!
http://imgur.com/DSopkP2
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What’s the point in making the VPM number if you DON’T add it to the broadcast audience?
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A better source of ratings and engagement (by demography and geography) is Piptook. Less gut feel and estimates, more hard numbers and actionable insights. Time to grow up.
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Hi all,
Thanks for the questions/comments etc. We’ve done a full explainer on the VPM Ratings, what they mean and what comes next here: https://mumbrella.com.au/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-oztam-catch-up-ratings-346611
Cheers
Nic – Mumbrella
Perhaps someone should remind OzTAM they they are owned by the networks!
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Perhaps TV measurement should be independent of the TV networks if they can’t be trusted to use it appropriately.
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Gracious, imagine the Ten Network fiddling the numbers. One is shocked, shocked!
It might lead one to question their releases touting their great gains on last year, though it’s not hard to deliver a great headline number of x% over last year, when last year’s base number was bugger all!
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A consolidated TV combined number of 3 million and only 34,000 devices? Without even looking at duplication, that’s an appalling incremental reach story.
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So they spend all this time to build a system to report video plays – then fuck around with it and damage its believability, all in the name of getting the biggest possible number.
Honestly, they are like boys behind he bike shed dropping their pants to see who has the biggest willy.
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reminds me of “The Big Short” however here the banks are the media channel and the ratings agencies i.e. S&P etc are OzTam and others.
ah.
thanks for the tip Coming of Age will check piptook.com out.
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