MEC’s Tom George explains why the beta launch of the first stage of BARB’s Project Dovetail is such an important milestone for the UK television and video industry.
As with many new forms of media, online television and video services have captured the imagination of the advertising industry. This is translating into serious consideration by media agencies of how these opportunities can be used as part of the established media mix, of which television remains a valuable component.
Yet as with many new things, the share of headlines that online television and video services attract is probably disproportionate to the share of audience they attract. I say probably, because we haven’t had to date a trusted, comprehensive audience measurement service.
And trust cannot be underestimated in the current climate. Advertisers and agencies are faced with increasingly complex choices as they search for the best return on their marketing investment.
Trust in audience numbers is not the only navigational aid that we have to work with, although it is one of the most important.
In this context, BARB’s beta launch of the first stage of Project Dovetail is an important milestone for the UK television and video industry. The TV Player Report delivers official figures on the level of viewing to on-demand content and live streaming. It is the first time BARB is reporting data that focuses on viewing that takes place on computer devices such as laptops, desktops, tablets and smartphones.
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Joint industry research bodies are often criticised for the speed at which they move. This is perhaps inevitable when a whole industry needs to align behind a new way of doing things. And the advent of the internet has shaken up expectations of how quickly new forms of accountability can be delivered.
Equally, we have to bear in mind that measuring activity on the internet is not as simple as it might have once seemed. It only takes a small change in software code or the adjustment of one parameter to come up with a completely different answer.
BARB has a well-deserved reputation for delivering trusted audience numbers and it would be doing all of us a disservice if it launched the first set of numbers that it could lay its hands on. This is why it’s important that BARB has taken time to get this new data launch right.
We have a new metric to work with that not only takes into account the total number of times a piece of online content is watched, but also how long it has been watched for. This is important so that we can confidently combine online TV audience figures on a like-for-like basis with established audience metrics, such as TVRs and average audiences.
As well as creating new standards, BARB has initiated an independent audit process that is delivered by ABC. This kicks in once a broadcaster has developed its TV Player app to include some software code that has been developed by Kantar Media.
This extra step in the process provides more reassurance that we are getting insight into real viewing by real people.
We also welcome that BARB is publishing the TV Player Report before it has data for all TV Players on all platforms.
Naturally we want comprehensive data. That said, the commitment of the BARB Board to provide beta data is a refreshing approach. After all, joint industry bodies have a tendency to sail at the speed of the slowest ship, a strategy that didn’t work too well for the Spanish Armada.
The TV Player Report is a big step forward in how we understand audience behaviour, even if it is a work in progress. It will become an increasingly comprehensive report in the weeks and months to come, which can only be a good thing.
Delivering the full potential of Project Dovetail is another complex task for BARB to manage on behalf of the industry. Anyone who has worked on a data fusion project will know how tricky they are to get right.
This challenge is magnified when you consider our expectation that BARB use transparent techniques to deliver fresh audience data, each and every day.
Nevertheless, these are exciting times and it’s encouraging to know that BARB is also experimenting with set-top box data from platform operators.
Aside from the potential research benefits, this feels like an important development that will help us evaluate the performance of campaigns that incorporate dynamic ad insertion techniques.
Tom George is CEO of MEC, MEC European chair and chairman of IPA Media Futures Group.
