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Imagine a morning without the TV ratings…

American networks are pushing for Timeshifted ratings to supercede Overnight ratings.

2014-07-22_0052What if you had to wait three days for last night’s ratings?

That’s the proposal being put forward in the US as networks struggle to have Overnight (or “Live+same day”) ratings reflect the performance of their content, which shift significantly through time-shifted DVR viewing.

FX has announced it will “no longer issue releases, analysis or comments related to ratings on a Live+Same Day basis.”

Instead it will issue Live+3 ratings, three days after broadcasts.

“With the exception of sports, news and live events, Live+Same Day ratings no longer accurately reflect the audience delivery for a scripted entertainment program,” said John Landgraf.

“We believe they grossly mischaracterise the actual audience due to the multiple data streams and platforms. Therefore, our first acknowledgement of any ratings will be on a Live+3 basis and beyond. That said, while Live+3 delivery still doesn’t measure the total audience, it is a significantly more accurate measurement than Live+Same Day.”

CBS chief research officer David Poltrack has said, “If you were a sports reporter, you wouldn’t report the winner on the third-inning score.”

Showtime’s Showtime’s Kim Lemon said, “These new platforms are something we have eagerly embraced.

“And you can see by the penetration numbers that [viewers] have. That’s why for the last five or six years, we have been completely focused on a multiplatform total week for our shows. That’s what we look at.”

In Australia networks are similarly looking to Consolidated numbers for a better reflection of how shows are performing, especially as we timeshift our Dramas and scripted content. Pay TV hates its numbers being reflected alongside FTA because the model is completely different.

Awkwardly, it takes 7 days for Consolidated data to be delivered, and by that time media have already reported Overnight numbers in headlines and moved on. It’s a challenge for all to reflect a ‘truer’ figure.

TV Tonight publishes Timeshifted data under the Ratings tab in the top menu.

Source: Deadline, Hollywood Reporter

3 Responses

  1. once-upon-a-time – I think the US networks have already been successful in limiting the functionality of PVRs in the US. For example I think the minimum time jump has to be 10 minutes so they can’t just skip from the end of one part to the beginning of the next.

  2. Don’t worry about the advertisers. They use the minute-by-minute data to see how many people are watching their ads (if they F-Fwd or skip it doesn’t get counted by the OzTAM meters).

    So this is only about headlines and for people who treat TV ratings like a sport where they cheer for their favourite when it wins.

    I don’t bother with the +7’s – it’s 8 days old by the time it comes out and I no longer care. I could be interested in +2 or +3 consolodated data if it were delivered in a timely manner.

    While News and “reality” shows dominate the ratings and quality dramas are given the short-shrift by commercial FTA, I can’t see them rushing to change the current system.

  3. Oh! Oh! What next banning of PVR’s, or the ability to record programmes altogether?

    Just look at whats gone on recently, Coding, deliberate programme over runs followed by an instant start of the following programme,plus increasing content integration and the misuse of the word ‘Encore’ (requested or imposed) combined with a virtual total disregard for the very concept of EPG’s where most times these days ‘Nine’ do not even bother to include the very basics of programme info (comedy, drama or Rpt. etc.) is this laziness or outright disrespect, and they wonder why people get cheezzed off.

    We all know the commercial networks are revenue dependent, but surely at least some of those who pay for advertising, actually watch FTA Tv and are astute enough to see why, or even react the same way as many viewers do.

  4. Agree with Brekkie, its the live viewing where people are most exposed to the ads and cannot fast forward. That is what networks need to appeal to the advertisers paying the big bucks.

  5. Networks schedule to maximise advertising revenue. That’s based on ad views in the targeted demographics. Here ad rates are calculated on overnights, in the US +3s are factored in in some cases.

    Consolidated figures are the best for talking about what people actually like to watch.

    Though the overnights include same days which are often skipping ads and the catch-up figures are wildly inaccurate because they measure attempted connections not viewings of a show.

  6. Makes perfect sense for the networks that don’t stuff their schedule with news and reality to want a better reflection of the numbers watching their content.

  7. I’m guessing FX doesn’t rate as well as it would like in the overnights then.

    Although timeshifted gives the bigger picture it’s the overnights which reveal the potential audience of the ads – and surely that’s the whole point in ratings after all.

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