Following a local and international search, the OzTAM Board has annoucned Karen Halligan as its new CEO.
The news comes after Doug Peiffer stepped down from the role earlier in the year, after more than 12 years at the head of OzTAM.
Foxtel unveiled plans for a new ratings measuring system at its Upfronts this week
Oztam isn’t impressed
“However, we acknowledge that the introduction of a Foxtel-only audience measurement system poses the risk of confusion in the market. Introducing a new measurement service is expected to raise questions regarding reliability, comparability and integration into agencies’ buying systems. The industry has clearly stated that it wants one service to measure Total TV and that is what OzTAM provides.
“OzTAM is Australia’s only independently audited and world-class service, measuring and reporting all free-to-air and subscription television viewing, in all homes, and measuring all screens and TVs in the home, whether or not they are internet-connected (approximately one-third of TV sets in households are not internet enabled).
It’s like an admission that their ratings are quite dire and they want to manipulate the data.
I’m surprised they haven’t done something already given the data they’d be able to get out of their set top boxes (and probably live too).
Ratings reports for Wednesday 22 November are delayed. No ETA has yet been advised.
Universe estimates for 2024
OzTAM has released the universe estimates or estimated TV audience in each market that will be used for TV ratings purposes. After a few yeas where COVID saw only modest increase, the yearly increases are back to more historical levels. This will be the first year that the 5-city market has topped 18 million after reaching 17 million in 2017 - so there are 1 million more potential TV viewers in the market now than 7 years ago. The table shows the change from last year in the last row.
The biggest change for most of us is that we have to wait even longer for the public release of daily ratings (from 10am AEDT to 11.35am AEDT), and that daily overnight ratings will no longer be published.
The biggest change is that the basis of the reporting will be peak audiences rather than average so that to count in the ratings a viewer only has to watch a show for 1 minutes to count (or 15 seconds BVOD). That will mean comparisons to past results will be difficult. Of course it will make viewing numbers higher than the previously used average audience numbers. So for example people who tune into The Chase for the last minute to watch Seven News will be counted as a viewer.
Another change is that it appears there will only be national figures with no results per market.
No results per market means (for example) we will never know how Nine News (with Alicia and Tom) performs in Melbourne during the year, against Seven News with Peter Mitchell. It will be up to Seven and Nine to release their own data.
I believe no daily overnight ratings data and no city breakdown will result in less transparency for average viewers.
Releasing ratings has never been about transparency - it’s basically corporate peacocking.
Ratings only matter to two groups of people - Commercial Network wonks and Advertisers - if they are still able to access the numbers they crave then the system has met its main objective.
Its good to see them move towards something more representative of how we consume content though.
What a shame these changes are for MS (although we aren’t the target for these reports).
Continually finding ways to inflate FTA numbers. Peak vs average is a huge disappointment plus lack of metro market figures.
wow what a change!
This article from David at TVT gives a good idea of how numbers should be reported.
Also mentions that separate multichannel numbers will no longer be reported.
Article also gives the sense that a national average for each program will continue to be available, however no state breakdowns.
Very interesting, indeed. I liked the way it is now (10am top 20 overnights, and top 20 Multi lists), followed by a top 30 “national numbers” in the afternoons.
So apart from the random sports match making the actual top 20 list, we wont see any multi-list numbers anymore from next week onwards? That’s a shame.
Speaking of the Top 30 lists that will now being release at 11.35am, does this mean we will see two lists? Is that what my understanding is (correct me if im wrong)? One with a national number of average across the show, and one list of top 30 shows that people watched for a minute?
That is the impression I have.
I also get the impression it will just be one national figure instead of separate BVOD and regional figures?
That does make more sense. Probably why the later start in releasing the numbers. To add these up, combine them, etc.
As soon as we get used to one way of reporting, they change it up. It will take some time in getting used to it. I hope for the better.
Definitely doesn’t seem like a “for the better” scenario.
Lack of city breakdown is devastating tbh. That’s the one figure I used the most (plus linear total average)