BARB Responds To Calls For Interactive Measurement
BARB is looking to introduce a new reporting system capable of measuring interactive advertising and red-button programmes following increasingly ‘urgent’ calls from agencies and broadcasters.
The audience research body does measure some interactive elements, but currently when viewers leave the broadcast stream to sample a commercial or place a vote, BARB registers them as continuing to watch the original programme.
Media agencies are understood to be growing increasingly concerned that the growth of interactive applications such as voting and competitions are causing viewers to miss the advertising breaks entirely, despite being recorded as having seen them under the current BARB system.
Toby Hack, head of interactive at OMDtvi, said: “This is a big problem for the majority of agencies because if someone is interacting with a programme, they leave the broadcast stream and consequently can’t see any of the commercials.”
He added: “We would like to know exactly what interactive viewers are doing because our clients, ourselves and the broadcasters are all paying for BARB. It is the mechanic that funds our entire business and what we base all our deals on, so its really important to us that they address this issue.”
The problem looks set to worsen as the uptake of digital television increases. The latest figures show that more than half of all British households now receive multichannel services and non-terrestrial broadcasters currently equal ITV1 in terms of share of viewing (see Digital Television Tops 10 Million Homes For First Time).
Tony Wearn, research manager at BARB, acknowledges that something needs to be done to resolve the issue. He said: “The demand to measure interactive viewing is there and it needs to be satisfied as quickly as possible. However, we simply don’t have a system that’s ready to be switched on. Gauging interactive viewing is a major departure from routine television audience measurement techniques.”
He added: “We need to determine what would be the most appropriate route for collecting the data and once we have determined that we can start thinking about the implications of introducing a system. Obviously this will be a burgeoning issue in the days, weeks and months to come, but at the moment the level of interactive viewing is still reasonably minimal.”
Recent research from interactive consultancy, Brightline Partners, suggests that marketers are increasing their commitment to the challenges of interactive television advertising and are finding creative ways to offset the challenges of this relatively new market (see Interactive Television Provides Opportunities For Advertisers).
Last year ITV signed a deal with BSkyB to launch a range of interactive services and develop interactive advertising on the digital satellite platform. The deal prompted the launch of new applications allowing ITV to develop opportunities for revenue and creativity through interactive ads (see ITV Expands Interactive Ad Prospects With BSkyB Deal).
BARB: 020 7529 5531 www.barb.co.uk
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