As Australians’ choice of viewing platforms diversifies, it’s the perfect time for TV ratings service OzTAM to innovate on their end. Hence, the launch of Virtual Australia (VOZ).
The creation of VOZ makes it now possible to round up broadcast and viewing on television sets and connected devices, delivering the country’s new TV currency with the capacity to perform reporting on all screens and multiple platforms used.
The ratings service OzTAM confirms that VOZ’s introduction was brought about by the remarkable change in Australians’ viewing patterns — all thanks to astonishing increase in content, platform, and device options.
To further elaborate, the average Australian home has 1.8 TV sets, but add other viewing platforms available and it turns to 6.6 screens in total. These are all used to view content with people no longer restricted to at-home viewing, generating an urgent need that requires addressing.
OzTAM and Nielsen are developing VOZ with the support of Regional TAM in order to record all kinds of TV activities, even the ones that take place outside the home.
Introducing VOZ
VOZ is Australia’s new total TV currency that not only capture the audience, what they watch, how much time they spend watching, but also how they’re watching. It’s recording and planning on all screens, across all available platforms. VOZ will also create a virtual profile of Australian households and individuals with the capacity to consolidate other datasets, thereby paving the way for advanced audience targeting.
What are the benefits?
With VOZ promising to deliver utmost TV picture, advertisers and media agencies can better come up with media plans covering inventory across all broadcast channels and devices. Managing cross-screen campaigns can now be executed more efficiently with datasets serving as a crucial foundation in terms of audience targeting.
Meanwhile, the television networks can better identify the viewers’ streaming habits, enabling them to proficiently act on their listings across all channels, markets, devices, and platforms with no exceptions. Lastly, the media industry can obtain standard metric, one that functions on complete objectivity and transparency. This will be used as a basis for assessment of TV performance on all platforms and screens, all of which is still in accordance with the implemented TAM and VPM currencies.
Understanding how it works
VOZ gathers TV ratings calculations from over 20,000 viewers in OzTAM and Regional TAM panel homes, with the addition of 12 million devices streaming TV content — combined in a single, comprehensive database.
Moreover, VOZ generates virtual profile of Australian households and 25 million of Australians, which is completely anonymous, with the use of:
ABS population statistics, OzTAM and Regional TAM Establishment survey data, TV ratings estimates using the verified viewing behaviour of over 20,000 individuals in OzTAM and Regional TAM panel homes, data from streaming TV meters installed in 1,500 TV panel homes, and census level OzTAM VPM information on 12 million connected devices streaming TV content.
Accessing and using VOZ
Any data generated by VOZ is stored with maximised security. OzTAM subscribers can access this data to perform Total TV planning, reporting, and post-analysis both locally and nationally. Though VOZ, datasets can also be integrated for an enhanced audience targeting across the Total TV universe.
As for privacy, there’s no cause for concern. As mentioned, user data collected is entirely anonymous with all OzTAM and Regional TAM television audience metric panel households participating in total consent. Users viewing on connected devices have also provided their consent to the broadcasters.
VOZ and everything required for it to serve its purpose is in line with the Australian privacy standards.
