Play Nice 2024 AFL TV Ratings

[The_Wookie]

Internal trials starting this weekend.

Will be keeping the ratings thread separate to the attendance thread this year.


Notes

Oztam have now moved completely to VOZ. At present this means no Fox or Kayo streams seem to be appearing on the oztam lists. Reach is now the focus of the Oztam reporting although an average for Linear is still being reported.

* NOTE: NEW METRICS AND REPORTS *​

• Total TV Overnight Top 30 and Consolidated 7 Top 30 reach is calculated using cumulative unique audiences watching 1 min of broadcast TV and 15 sec of BVOD.
• Total TV National audience is calculated using the audience average for the program as time-coded by the Network across 5CM and all regional markets nationally watching on broadcast TV.
• BVOD national audience is calculated using the total number of minutes watched (multiplied by co-viewing factor) divided by the length of the program.

Will attempt to get as much data as possible, but Oztam not making it easy any more.

 

[Bjo187]

At the risk of prolonging an argument that's already been going for a while now, don't the AFL (and others) use this as a way of comparing their own numbers against previous years? To the extent that previous years had the same number of matches, with the same match length, and roughly the same share of matches played concurrently, you can generate an apples for apples comparison.
None of this indicates they think it's a good way of comparing numbers of viewers between sports with varying match lengths etc.

Exactly right, the afl don't appear to care about the incorrect perception of nrl having more viewers, they were asked for comment but didn't. I think they just leave it up to the media deal to tell the story. I would like to see them clear up for the public all the reasons for this claim though.

I suppose it's all nrl can hang their hat on. Also the timing is convenient post the finals crowds and tv ratings and grand final tv viewers losses, along with the western bears falling through, that they'd wield out some positive propoganda to their constituency.

 

[RedV3x]

Exactly right, the afl don't appear to care about the incorrect perception of nrl having more viewers, they were asked for comment but didn't. I

There is no gain in getting into a debate with someone who is in fact purposely trying to cause a distraction.
AFL fans know just how popular their sport is and that's all that matters.
The AFL knows just how well it's doing so there is nothing to be gained by entering into a pissing contest.

 

[threenewpadlocks]

There is no gain in getting into a debate with someone who is in fact purposely trying to cause a distraction.
AFL fans know just how popular their sport is and that's all that matters.
The AFL knows just how well it's doing so there is nothing to be gained by entering into a pissing contest.

Yep, the NRL is not suddenly going to trick the broadcasters into handing over more money

 

[The Educator]

At the risk of prolonging an argument that's already been going for a while now, don't the AFL (and others) use this as a way of comparing their own numbers against previous years? To the extent that previous years had the same number of matches, with the same match length, and roughly the same share of matches played concurrently, you can generate an apples for apples comparison.
None of this indicates they think it's a good way of comparing numbers of viewers between sports with varying match lengths etc.

This is the key takeaway. It obviously works as a comparison season to season but not between sports of different lengths.

The best way of comparing viewership over a season or a round is actually volume - eg number of minutes / hours watched. It makes sense that, in a given weekend, the average AFL fan and the average NRL fan will watch a similar amount of game time.

I would hazard a guess that if you divided the Roy Morgan figures by the weekly volume of the ratings, you will get similar numbers.

 

[RedV3x]

The best way of comparing viewership over a season or a round is actually volume - eg number of minutes / hours watched. It

Maybe for commercial reasons (no pun intended) and the whole idea of ratings is for commercial reasons but if you really want to compare the effectiveness of ratings you're going to fail because there are too many variables to consider.

For example it is universally agreed that the AFL grand final would achieve much higher ratings at a later timeslot.
Timeslot is a factor. The timeslot affects the alternatives available. Thus a rainy day in the viewing state is going to increase ratings whilst a sunny day means lower ratings with people doing all sorts of things. So weather is a factor. Thus the calendar is a factor - is it a weekday, weekend or holiday? The amount of promotion is a factor. because it G's up interest. Interest is competitive when it comes to ratings. What is competing against sports at the time. "Nothing" on television, oh, I'll have a little look at this sporting event.Not so much a factor now, but who controls the remote control ? Women as a big generalisation shy away from sports and like watching social interactions whereas men tend to watch a range of sports regardless of real interest.

So people, you want a real evaluation of ratings, the develop an algorithm that takes all these factors into account.
My anecdotal evidence is that a huge number of people have the television on continuously in the background barely taking anything in.There is no measure (except drowsiness) of connection to the screen.

All this is why people love attendances - they are physical and accuately measurable.
Then again, the same factors apply to physical attendances with the addition of cost and travel.

 

[Bjo187]

Foxtel launches long-awaited total audience measurement system: 'It's really all about playing to the corporate advertisers' commitment to digital'

Foxtel Media has used its 2025 Upfront to officially launch its long-awaited total audience measurement solution to capture and report the viewing habits of its 4.8 million linear and streaming subscribers.Foxtel first announced its partnership with Kantar Media in 2023, and brands and agency...

mumbrella.com.au

Not sure what this all means exactly, but it may mean we will get more accurate tv ratings data out of foxtel next year.

 

[RedV3x]

Foxtel launches long-awaited total audience measurement system: 'It's really all about playing to the corporate advertisers' commitment to digital'

Foxtel Media has used its 2025 Upfront to officially launch its long-awaited total audience measurement solution to capture and report the viewing habits of its 4.8 million linear and streaming subscribers.Foxtel first announced its partnership with Kantar Media in 2023, and brands and agency...

mumbrella.com.au

Not sure what this all means exactly, but it may mean we will get more accurate tv ratings data out of foxtel next year.

It seems rather like marketing tool rather than an improvement on accuracy.

 

[The_Wookie]

It seems rather like marketing tool rather than an improvement on accuracy.

its supposed vastly more accurate.

Earlier this year, Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain told the Future of TV Advertising conference that around 40% of Foxtel's viewer data registers as zero under OzTAM's measurement system.

"With our measurement system, every spot is counted and the audience attributed to all of those channels," Frain said at the event.

Mark Frain says OzTAM doesn't record Foxtel viewer data accurately - AdNews

Around 40% of viewer data registers as zero.

www.adnews.com.au

Sweden’s Kantar Media, which will measure Foxtel Group audiences already measures 7m set top boxes for Sky and SingTel via return path data.

Frain said testing had delivered dramatic results for the Subscription TV broadcaster.

“For example, in August, 49% of half hour time slots were reporting No People, 25-54 audience. The truth the big data reveals is that number is actually 2%. When you count those donuts in terms of audience impacts, Kantar is 84% higher than OzTAM in August alone. Take a look at the first week of Fox Footy in September: the Midweek Tackle +24%, AFL Tonight +40%, AFLW +79%, +38% + 78% +110% and it goes on. That’s a huge impact for the AFLW and for our clients.”

Foxtel Media: "We have attempted many times over the last 2 years to find solutions with OzTAM" | TV Tonight

Foxtel Media CEO kicks off Upfronts by talking about the elephant in the room: ratings.

tvtonight.com.au

 

[RedV3x]

its supposed vastly more accurate.

On the use of data already collected ?
Not on the actual physical collection which has always been far from perfect.IMO

 

[The_Wookie]

On the use of data already collected ?
Not on the actual physical collection which has always been far from perfect.IMO

Well ratings has always been about advertising dollars. Its why they exist in the first place.

 

[RedV3x]

Well ratings has always been about advertising dollars. Its why they exist in the first place.

Yes. But as I understand it, they've collected data and now they say they can interpret it better ?
It seems a little strange to me if in fact that is true.

 

[The_Wookie]

Yes. But as I understand it, they've collected data and now they say they can interpret it better ?
It seems a little strange to me if in fact that is true.

Oztam were collecting data from a limited number of set top boxes and streamers and extrapologating that into larger audiences.

Evidently Kantar are doing it directly via return path data. It will no longer be survey based, but direct viewer based. This capacity has always existed, but never utilised by Foxtel before.

It is almost certainly what the likes of Stan and Optus use, as they arent on a ratings panel either.

 

[Bjo187]

I do wonder, despite having a foxtel set top box connected to Wi-Fi, why foxtel wouldn't be freely and easily collecting the data of my viewing habits every day, week, month, year?

 

[RedV3x]

Oztam were collecting data from a limited number of set top boxes and streamers and extrapologating that into larger audiences.

Evidently Kantar are doing it directly via return path data. It will no longer be survey based, but direct viewer based. This capacity has always existed, but never utilised by Foxtel before.

It is almost certainly what the likes of Stan and Optus use, as they arent on a ratings panel either.

OK. that better explains it.

 

[The_Wookie]

I do wonder, despite having a foxtel set top box connected to Wi-Fi, why foxtel wouldn't be freely and easily collecting the data of my viewing habits every day, week, month, year?

My understanding is that because Oztam is survey based, they didnt feel they needed it previously, but after testing the Kantar systems that are used overseas, found that there was a massive amount of viewers that werent counted due to being too low for representative sampling to matter. And so here we are, Foxtel has withdrawn from the Oztam panel, and will go its own way with direct reporting.