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New-look STV ratings to include timeshifted and downloaded views

Pay TV body ASTRA will revamp its ratings reports in January to better reflect viewers who record and play back programmes.

foxtel iq2Pay TV body ASTRA will revamp its ratings reports in January to better reflect viewers who record and play back programmes.

ASTRA will continue reporting overnight audience numbers, but a weekly ratings summary will also report the additional viewers who recorded or downloaded the program and watched it in full within seven days of broadcast.

OzTAM has already been tallying Consolidated numbers for STV, but not with downloaded / online views.

“The growth of time-shifted viewing means more and more subscription television content is watched outside linear broadcasts, meaning a new framework is required to more accurately report audience sizes,” Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association CEO, Andrew Maiden, said.

“From January, ASTRA will lead the industry by beginning to report television audiences achieved over a consolidated seven day period, including the growing number of viewers who play back their favourite shows days after they are broadcast.

“This new format is by far the most accurate measure of the audience commanded by a particular program, so is the most meaningful and credible way to assess the value of a program for advertisers,” he said.

The penetration of PVRs in metropolitan subscription television viewing homes is 81%, and in metropolitan homes without subscription television is 51%. In subscription homes, live viewing accounts for 92% of all television viewing with play back accounting for 8% or 7 hours and 45 minutes per month.

The new data will be included in a weekly ratings report issued by ASTRA every Monday morning. It will update the previous week’s table of top ten most popular programs by including the additional viewers attracted in the seven days subsequent to the original report.

You can click on the following image to see how it will work.

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6 Responses

  1. Remember that ratings are really a measure of how many people are watching the ads. Programs are just the bait.

    From the OzTAM FAQ:
    OzTAM measures and reports only standard speed (normal) playback (i.e., no ‘trick mode’ or fast-forwarded material is included in OzTAM ratings).

    I imagine it’s the same for ASTRA, which would go some way to explaining why the playback percentage is so low. Also, a surprising number of people still mostly just watch programs on television (not PC/tablet/phone/Dick Tracy watch) at the time that they’re broadcast.

  2. A lot of cable viewing is sport and movies (replacing DVDs) which are watched live.

    And people look for stuff to watch on cable when there is nothing interesting on FTA. especially over summer.

    Something like the Walking Dead which screens on Monday night when there are lots of stuff Like MKR, The Voice etc on probably gets recorded a lot.

  3. Can you report on these timeshifted figures too David? I’m surprised too on the low figures for recording to IQ. Although I’m in Perth where we are 3 hours behind so everything in primetime is broadcast from 3.00pm-7.30pm. IQ is essential for me. I don’t know why people get IQ if they don’t use it.

  4. Will be good to get more accurate viewing figures for cable dramas.

    Though the playback figures are surprisingly low, considering that 81% of STV subscribers have an IQ or equivalent.

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