Channel 7’s newest Chief Marketing and Audience Officer, Melissa Hopkins, has called out the television industry’s ‘crazy obsession’ with the overnight TV ratings model, labelling it a ‘dinosaur’ that belongs in a museum.
In her new role at Seven, Hopkins has found it perplexing that while marketers willingly purchase impressions and reach in the digital realm, such as on YouTube, they still fixate on TV overnight ratings for capital cities.
In a new opinion essay published by the Mumbrella website, Melissa Hopkins argues this antiquated system ought to be replaced by a more accurate model of measuring audiences across all screens.
The advent of Virtual Australia (VOZ) data on May 1 marked a significant turning point in the media and marketing sectors, providing a true representation of audiences and their reach across all devices.
Hopkins argued that the fixation on overnight ratings for only capital cities contradicts the comprehensive reach and impressions we happily obtain from digital platforms like YouTube. She reasoned that a more transparent measurement system would provide an authentic representation of audience behaviour.
Whilst acknowledging that traditional TV channels and ‘appointment viewing’ still hold importance, Hopkins emphasised the need for a system that accurately captures the audience that consumes content on various devices and platforms, according to their schedule. VOZ, she said, is the world-leading system capable of doing this.
“an ever-growing number of people are watching content when and where they want, on mobile phones, laptops, tablets and so on.
VOZ is a world-leading system to capture that viewing in its totality, a system that is audience-first in that it actually reflects what audiences are doing, and a third-party verified chance to demonstrate the true national reach and attention TV still holds.”
Having joined Seven in March from Optus, Hopkins has experienced the depth and detail of VOZ data firsthand and has been impressed by the strong, accurate cross-platform broadcast TV and BVOD reach and frequency information it provides. She expressed disappointment at the barriers still in place to make VOZ data the primary focus of audience measurement and conversation.
Right now, TV audience measurement data is a state of flux, at least in terms of how the numbers are being reported by the media (don’t forget that the media play an important role in how the performance of individual networks and shows is perceived by people outside the media buying world).
The bottom line is that as long as the TV industry keeps pumping out linear overnight ratings data publicly, VOZ will never be the only thing reporters focus on. And that is a big shame.
Highlighting the national and rich nature of next-day VOZ data, Hopkins stressed its significance. This data provides one national dataset for marketers and agencies, revealing the incremental audience watching exclusively on BVOD and demonstrating the true national reach of TV content across all devices.
The “crazy obsession” with overnight ratings needs to end, Hopkins says.
“The next-day VOZ data is national and rich. It creates one national dataset for marketers and agencies.
It reveals, for the first time, the incremental audience watching only on BVOD. And above all, it shows how many people are actually watching TV content, regardless of the device.
As a viewer, I don’t care what device I’m holding or sitting in front of – I’m there for the content, not the delivery mechanism.”
She challenged the industry to project the far-reaching impact of their content and the engagement it generates, arguing that even big digital platforms may struggle to compete with the reach and engagement of a single TV program, as per VOZ data.
In her fresh role as a TV executive, Hopkins has been privy to debates over what aspects of VOZ data should be public.
In my 12 weeks as a TV executive, I’ve heard the squabbling between some people about what VOZ data should and shouldn’t be released, and in what form, and at what time of day, and to whom.
It’s bullshit. It’s dumb. It’s head-in-the-sand thinking. And it isn’t doing any of us any favours.
I’m genuinely excited about VOZ. It’s independent. It’s credible. It’s world leading. It is a single source of truth for the industry and for the people reporting on the industry.
Now, as an industry, we all need to get out of the weeds we have grown, put aside any short-sighted views we have about what should be released, and focus on the big picture.
SOURCE: You can read the full editorial opinion piece by Melissa Hopkin by Mumbrella
When the ratings go down their answer is to get a rubber tape measure 🤪
🚨 Ratings go down faster than crew in the production office 😬