Television ratings overhauled to give better indication of audience numbers

Television ratings are about to be overhauled that will reveal how many Australians are tuning into catch-up TV.

Seven West Media CEO James Warburton. Picture: Nikki Short

Television ratings will soon include the release of seven-day viewing numbers that show how many viewers are tuning into catch-up TV.

The official television audience reporting compiled by OzTAM will include two lots of ratings: the first will include linear TV (traditional TV viewing) and Broadcast Video on Demand (BVOD) viewing over the previous seven days. They will be released at 9am each day.

The second lot of ratings, already released daily, will continue to include the overnight tables showing linear TV viewing only and they will be released at 10am.

OzTAM, owned by the free-to-air networks, compiles the ratings and the daily reports will likely see audience numbers tuning into the various station’s key prime-time shows significantly increase given the popularity of streaming and catch-up viewing.

The new reporting model will allow catch-up television services including ABC iview, 9Now, 7Plus and 10play and subscription services, including Kayo and Binge to be included.

Seven West Media chief executive James Warburton has pushed for ratings reforms and said the seven-day viewing numbers better reflected true audience numbers.

“For too long, the television industry has focused on our smallest audience number – overnight ratings – and continued to report the same way for 21 years, failing to promote our total audience numbers and digital platforms,” he said.

“The world has moved on and television is now multi-screen and multi-platform, which includes time-shifted viewing, BVOD and live streaming.

“We need to tell that story, every single day.”

Mr Warburton said the total audience reports would “shift the focus away from one dimension of overnight ratings”.

“These are positive steps forward and while overnights will still be published as they have been for the past two decades, they should not be the focus for the future,” he said.

OzTAM chief executive Doug Peiffer said the seven-day consolidated TV ratings would make it simpler for the media to report on audience numbers.

“The proposed new report will show – side-by-side in a single report – the consolidated seven metro and regional linear TV audience, the BVOD audience, and the total TV audience,” he said.

“The aim is to make it easier to see how television content is ­consumed over a seven-day ­period and will be easier for ­journalists to work with than separate linear TV and BVOD reports.”

The new daily 7-day reports are expected to be made available in the coming weeks.