OzTAM today publishes its inaugural Video Player Measurement (VPM) Reports, providing Australia’s first official figures for viewing of internet-delivered TV content.
The daily launch stage reports encompass rolling seven-day data (i.e.,
cumulative on-demand, or catch up, viewing during the previous seven days).
Top online program rankings are based on VPM Ratings, the average number of devices that have played the content across a program’s duration.
VPM Ratings are calculated in a similar way to TV program average audiences, though for devices rather than people in OzTAM’s VPM Report.
OzTAM’s CEO Doug Peiffer said: “OzTAM’s launch stage VPM Reports offer Australia’s first content level data on the catch up TV material Australians view on their connected devices.
“As is the case with time-shifted viewing, the most-watched catch up programs are often those with the biggest broadcast audiences, while others – notably dramas – can attract a significant portion of their total audience from catch up viewing.”
OzTAM’s VPM service is currently collecting approximately 15-23 million minutes of live and on-demand online content from participating broadcasters each day. This will increase as additional broadcaster video players are integrated with the service.
Australians view around 3.5 to 4 billion minutes of broadcast TV content through the television set over the same 24-hour period.
Below are the reports for the period ending Sunday February 14.
Seven commented on its VPM and consolidated viewing highlights:
Seven’s Sunday builds on recorded viewing over the past seven days.
• My Kitchen Rules delivers a total audience of 2.488 million across metropolitan and regional markets – up from 2.092 million on its original broadcast on Seven on 7 February.
• My Kitchen Rules adds 168,000 viewers on time-shifted viewing on television and 31,000 viewers on online video on demand on PLUS7. My Kitchen Rules also adds 196,000 viewers on encore screenings on television.
• Molly delivers a total audience of 3.290 million across metropolitan and regional markets – up from 2.630 million on its original broadcast on Seven on 7 February.
• Molly adds 390,000 viewers on time-shifted viewing on television and 34,000 viewers on online video on demand on PLUS7. Molly also adds 236,000 viewers on encore screenings on television.
Nine noted that the new OzTAM VPM reports show that episode one of Here Come The Habibs! is Nine’s top-performing Video Player Measurement program, with a VPM rating of 45,000.
This means that an average of 45,000 devices watched episode one of on an internet connected device in the days subsequent to its linear broadcast on Tuesday.
Network Ten reported its series achieved significant gains in viewer numbers when VPM, or online catch-up, data is added to overnight audience and television catch-up viewing numbers.
The 2015 season of The Bachelorette Australia, for example, gained 90,000 new viewers per episode on average through the addition of VPM data – lifting its total capital city audience to 1.12 million.
Last year’s season of The Bachelor Australia added 64,000 more viewers on average with VPM data, while programs such as MasterChef Australia, TBL Families and Neighbours also showed increases with the addition of VPM data.
This year, the first week of the new season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! added 16,000 more viewers on average through online catch-up (plus 50,000 more viewers on average through television catch-up), while the first two episodes of the revival of The X-Files added 28,000 more online catch-up viewers (and 201,000 more television catch-up viewers on average).
The total capital city audiences for the first week of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and The X-Files – that is, covering overnight, television catch-up and online catch-up viewing – now stand at 1,006,000 and 1,085,000 respectively.
Photo: Seven’s Molly