Consumer viewing, measurement & monetisation

Matt O’Grady’s research won the Tony Twyman award at last week’s 2011 asi European TV Symposium in Amsterdam for the best paper, sponsored by RSMB TV Research.

The Nielsen paper was unveiled in a session looking at how technology is transforming the way people view television. The purpose of the session was to give delegates an idea of the complexity of the consequent audience measurement task and the further complexities in communication planning.

The paper specifically looks at the audience measurement issues from the point of view of broadcasters. Many broadcasters feel threatened by digital technology and the potential that exists to ‘pirate’ their original content. These broadcasters need to have reliable metrics to provide a reliable currency so that they are able to make money across all distribution platforms from their original content.

Viewers today are watching video content on more devices than ever before. There are an increasing number of screens with which to view content. Nielsen has to capture the viewers as a multi-platform consumer, tracking his/her experiences and behaviour from the act of searching for content, through choosing content and then viewing.

Is the viewer device-agnostic or do his habits follow a predictable pattern? Are consumers/viewers picking the best screen available… moving from room to room, engaging in simultaneous usage or activities? As the viewing options proliferate, the measurement challenges do as well. Media companies and advertisers need to keep pace with the fast evolving consumer viewing options. They have not lost focus on capturing eyeballs and seeking to effectively monetise these valuable media assets.

It was a particularly important contribution following the account that had just been given by Gerard Timmer of NPO (the Dutch BBC) of the pressures faced by public service broadcasters. He reported that their programme budget had been cut this year by 20% – so new revenue streams are increasingly important.

Click here to see the full presentation.