Television Audience Measurement in Australia

Kate Inglis-Clark
CEO
OzTAM

Can you tell us about OzTAM and its activities?

OzTAM manages and markets television ratings data covering all channels for the five city metropolitan areas of Australia and nationally for Subscription television.

The company was formed in 1999 and it is owned by the three metropolitan commercial television networks Seven, Nine and Ten; OzTAM is responsible for the management of Television Audience Management contract, held by research provider AGB Nielsen Media Research.

We encourage joint media and advertising participation to address relevant industry matters, thus ABC Network, Media Federation of Australia, Advertising Federation of Australia, Australian Association of National Advertisers and Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association have observer status at OzTAM board meetings. TAC (Technical Advisory Committee) is a forum where representatives of the associations above discuss technical issues regarding the ratings service with a focus on its continuous improvement.

OzTAM television ratings information is the currency by which television is bought, sold and evaluated. It is used by organizations such as television networks, advertisers, advertising agencies, media buyers and program suppliers. They use the data to assist them in assessing program and network performance and to understand viewer behavior.

How can companies that are non-media buyers and sellers have access to television ratings from Australia?

Anyone can have access to television ratings via a service we call ' AdHoc Report'. The reports are available as once off or on a regular basis. As they are tailored reports, interested parties need to define their data requirements (program and date-range of interest, demographic groups, etc.). Our bureau provides quotes on the requested reports and once they are paid, there is a turnaround time of 2-3 working days.

Who are the "AdHoc Report" clients?

Producers, distributors, media research companies, financial groups, marketing and communications companies, sponsorship solutions agencies to just name a few, both from Australia and overseas are purchasing our reports on a regular basis.

What seems to be the topic of interest when it comes to television ratings from "down under"?

Program related audience measures seem to be the focus of most data requests from the international market. Australians love their sports and entertainment shows and internationally sport events and championships generate a lot of interest. And with the Rugby World Cup under way and the Olympics knocking at our door, I am positive this trend will continue to dominate the "AdHoc" reports' requests.