PRESS RELEASE
Viewers who record and play back subscription television programs will be more accurately recorded in a revamped weekly ratings report from January.
“The growth of time-shifted viewing means more and more subscription television content is watched outside linear broadcasts, meaning a new framework is required to more accurately report audience sizes,” Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association CEO, Andrew Maiden, said today.
“From January, ASTRA will lead the industry by beginning to report television audiences achieved over a consolidated seven day period, including the growing number of viewers who play back their favourite shows days after they are broadcast.
“This new format is by far the most accurate measure of the audience commanded by a particular program, so is the most meaningful and credible way to assess the value of a program for advertisers,” Mr Maiden said.
The new format will frequently increase the size of the reported audience, more accurately reflecting the change in viewing behaviour as viewers use personal video recorders (PVRs).
The penetration of PVRs in metropolitan subscription television viewing homes is 81%, and in metropolitan homes without subscription television is 51%. In subscription homes, live viewing accounts for 92% of all television viewing with play back accounting for 8% or 7 hours and 45 minutes per month.
ASTRA will continue reporting overnight audience numbers every morning, but the organisation’s weekly ratings summary will now also report the additional viewers who recorded or downloaded the program and watched it in full within seven days of broadcast.
The new data will be included in a weekly ratings report issued by ASTRA every Monday morning. It will update the previous week’s table of top ten most popular programs by including the additional viewers attracted in the seven days subsequent to the original report.