Australia's Total TV Metrics Roll Out

Australia's total television measurement system VOZ has gone public, with reports now available on the Virtual Oz web site of operator OzTam, alongside the latter's Total TV reach reports and BVOD-specific reports.

VOZ (Virtual Australia) was announced 3 years ago as an integrated database combining broadcast viewing on TV sets and connected devices, supporting advanced audience targeting.

According to news site www.mumbrella.com.au , the roll-out has been subject to delays - it was originally scheduled for early 2019, but OzTam CEO Doug Peiffer says factors including lockdowns and a cyber attack on partner company Nielsen caused major setbacks, while the 'sheer complexity of the project' - including the integration of linear television panels in 8,000 households with 14-15m BVOD devices - proved highly challenging. A first phase, combining OzTAM's TV ratings and its VPM (video player measurement) connected device viewing data to give a cross-screen, de-duplicated analysis did launch in February 2020.

Now, the country's official ad currency measure is releasing consolidated 7-day numbers for Total TV audience which account for both linear and BVOD, including viewers who consume across the weeks that follow a show's live premiere. Peiffer told Mumbrella: 'VOZ gives a true national picture of television. As consumers have been moving around their different devices to watch TV, it's one dimensional to look at [just] the linear side of things these days'.

Peiffer says OzTam has no plans to halt the current metro linear overnight ratings system, which still provides an important snapshot of program performance.

Web site: www.oztam.com.au .