BBC to Introduce 'Live Plus 7' Measurement

In the UK, the BBC is introducing its own 'Live Plus 7' system, which supplements traditional 'overnight' audience figures with numbers viewing the same programmes on any of a number of platforms up to seven days later.

The new system will incorporate the total audience consuming content across live, recordings, narrative, repeats, BBC iPlayer and HD for seven days after transmission.

BBC Vision's Head of Audiences David Bunker explained to DRNO that the system combines linear TV audience data from industry body BARB with the BBC's own internal iStats data, which counts those who watch programmes on iPlayer.

iStats apportions each BBC TV programme its own identifying number, which is used to link the two sources of data together.

Bunker said that the iStats system doesn't just take the number of views or requests, but also accounts for the actual amount of the programme an individual has watched. This provides an equivalent 'average audience' to the way linear TV audiences are reported.

Since iPlayer stats just measure the numbers of streams/downloads, and don't take account of how many are watching that stream or download, the corporation applies an estimated factor based on other survey data.

Audience measurement specialist TRP (Television Research Partnership) then steps in to undertake the combined data analysis.

'These refinements ensure that we get a consistent measure of total consumption of a programme across different platforms, and allow us to add them together with greater confidence,' adds Bunker.

A single Live Plus 7 figure will be available around 10 days after broadcast, and the BBC will also continue to accumulate audience viewings beyond that date, so that it can examine how many people watched over a longer period.

From next year, the BBC will publish data from the Live Plus 7 system every month, in a similar way to its current release of BBC iPlayer stats.

Jana Bennett, Director of BBC Vision says Live Plus 7 will allow the BBC to look at the total impact of a show and use this insight to continue creating the programmes its audiences want to see.

Web sites: www.bbc.co.uk and www.televisionresearchpartnership.com .