What do Programmers think about splitting shows for OzTAM coding?
Exclusive: Should a network split 1 show into 2 to lift the ratings? TV Tonight talks to 3 programmers, with one branding its misuse "a complete scam."
- Published by David Knox
- on
- Filed under News, Top Stories
EXCLUSIVE: Last week both TEN and Nine began to split shows for coding purposes with OzTAM.
The Project is now coded at two titles. On Wednesday night The Project 6pm rated 528,000 while The Project 6:30pm was 697,000 -a difference of 169,000.
Similarly Nine pulled 812,000 for The Celebrity Apprentice Challenge and 858,000 for The Celebrity Apprentice Boardroom -a difference of 46,000.
All three commercial networks have previously coded sone shows as different weekdays: (ie. The Block Monday, MasterChef Tuesday, My Kitchen Rules Wednesday). All three have famously broken out separate numbers for Grand Finals. The Block: The Winner Announced was the highest rated show for 2011, despite it airing for only a handful of minutes.
Advertisers and networks can see minute by minute data. Audiences and EPGs just sample one show, with no discernment where or how shows are coded with OzTAM. So why is it necessary to break out the numbers?
Surely it’s all about media headlines. When you’re launching a new show it helps to have good press. A show can float to the top of the heap when it is coded in such a way that its numbers are closer to a peak than the average.
In December OzTAM said it had concerns about the increasing practice and wanted some industry consensus.
At the start of this year, TV Tonight asked three Programmers for their views on the subject. Since that time, two networks have now recommenced the practice. So what are their individual strategies and just how far can it go?
Michael Healy, Director of Television at Nine, said: “I’m really comfortable with the way the coding system works. I think all networks have used it to their advantage.
“A show performs as it performs whether it starts on the clock hour or the half of the clock hour, a show still pulls as it pulls.”
By contrast David Mott, Chief Programming Officer at TEN questioned the widespread use of the practice.
“It has become a complete scam. To separate programs with a winner announced program running two minutes is a joke. You cannot find time for a commercial break so what is the point?” he said.
“We have raised it with OzTAM and they are on the case.
“If a program finale runs for a period longer than an hour then I agree the winner announced portion could be split as a separate program, however we have been clear it should be no less than 20 minutes.”
Seven is yet to split coding within daily programmes, but Head of Programming Angus Ross indicates if the strategy continues, he would need to follow suit.
“I’ve had a number of discussions with other Programmers at other networks, and I’m not naming names, but I think some people would like to chop up every programme they have into 5 minute segments. That’s the sort of thing you do when you don’t have depth in your schedule, and I can understand them doing that, because when you’ve got something working you want to make it look like it’s doing more than it actually is,” he said.
“That’s not our view but if other people believe that is the way forward I would have to move in that direction as well.”
Ross said OzTAM was having discussions with the networks and hopefully some common sense would prevail.
“If you’ve got a show on one night and then it’s on another night I think it probably makes sense to call it something else. If you’ve got something on four nights a week it occupies a lot of real estate, so if it just appears as one entry it probably underplays the importance of a show.
“As an industry we’ve got to come together and find something that makes sense for everyone, so I will go with whatever directives come as long as it’s fair for everyone.
“Australia leads the way in this area!”
Share
- Tagged with Masterchef, My Kitchen Rules, The Block, The Celebrity Apprentice Australia, The Project
21 Responses
Lot of trickery going on here. How about starting shows on tike and I mean to the second.
What rubbish.But then Channel 9 as other stations do they all now combine there other channels to a overall result.Is that wrong absolutely.Channel 9 so far may have had a better year than figures have been suggesting…
OzTAM should just do all ratings on a 30 minute basis, 24/7.
As many have said before unless it is a winners announced case which everyone does anyway, they should make it that if they want to code the show separately they have to air credits for each segment.
What Kenny said, is exactly what will happen if this practice continues. It’s stupid and needs to stop.
And yesCraig, not surprised with those figures. I watch 7 News and need something to watch at 6.30. Would watch the Project but not gonna tune in half way through. The Project should just be 6.30-7. Surely those figures can tell Ten that.
And what’s Healy talking about, not show starts on the hour or 1/2 hour. They all start at 8.42 or 7.07 or 8.48
Personally I see nothing wrong with it as long as the Network is setting separate advertising rates, in that case it makes sense
David,
Haven’t Sunrise and Today been doing this for years with the ‘Early’ coded shows? I presume it’s the 6am-7am slot??
Yes that’s true, re Sunrise and Today. From convos I have had with media buyers I understand there have not been separate rates for those primetime shows.
This again shows why The Amazing Race is the greatest of the ‘reality’ shows…none of this ‘Winner Announced’ rubbish…you just win by being first across the line…
Its completely ridiculous if you ask me. At a time when OzTAM only lets you report a lot less than they used to some shows are not even coming up on the radar because of it.
I don’t mind when it happens with Winner Announced in reality finales. That has been common practice for years but splitting the show up like they do for The Celebrity Apprentice and The Project is a complete and utter joke. Its a scam almost. It would be like splitting the news, sport and weather up in the news bulletin or split each section of a drama. No its pathetic practice and Nine and TEN are an absolute disgrace. This has to stop now and OzTAM need to take action now.
Michael Healy – “… whether it starts on the clock hour or the half of the clock hour,…”
Apart from the news/ACA, when does that ever happen during primetime? Is a clock hour different from the regular hours that the rest of us use? Perhaps that explains it – the TV networks measure time differently from everybody else.
I think David Mott means that it’s ok to separate out the winner announced part provided that it is preceded by a completely different program which you’re trying to launch.
@BruceL33 – haha but pls don’t put ideas in their heads or we’ll see the likes of News – the weather, Football – the final whistle/siren, and Graham Norton – Stories in the Red Chair.
In UK, they have ratings for every 15min, so you know where people left or people came to watch.
We used to have 15 min results but 1 min increments actually allows a far greater level of detail for everybody.
“A show performs as it performs whether it starts on the clock hour or the half of the clock hour” Yeah, right. How many do that? Try 44 mins past the hour or 13 mins. past the hour.
Lets have three programs, call them News, Sport, Weather. ?
So David Mott says ‘it’s a scam’ but, correct me if I’m wrong, did he not break up Masterchef into the program and ‘The Winner Announced’?
I believe he means a scam using it for less than 20 mins without a commercial.
As someone who spends their working day analysing OzTam data, I find this practise very frustrating. Breaking out ‘winner announced’ is a bit of a joke. Why don’t you go ahead and breakout the last 5 minutes of a crime show – ‘Midsomer Murders-The Killer Revealed’ or ‘Titanic-The bit where the boat sinks’. And yeah you could say Australia leads the way in this area but they don’t do this in other countries because it’s a crap idea!!!
Yes I believe he was being ironic….
Wow who would have thought they’d have these opinions.
Michael Blahblah – Director of TV currently 1st in ratings says ‘I like it’.
David Blahblah – Chief programming officer of 3rd or 4th place says ‘Its not fair’.
Wow, 7 took this opportunity to have a dig at another network’s schedule?
Re – The Project I agree with those figures, I know my parents like watching 7 News thus miss the first half of the show, I can see a lot are doing similar.