Chatter Becomes Currency, Measurement Erupts

Michael Hedges October 7, 2013 Follow on Twitter

Where smartphones and tablets are more popular than pets, big television operators are rushing to find a marketing advantage in the “second screen.” Always walking on the edge, advertising people want a clear pathway to consumers’ hearts and minds. Data extracted from social media, even if limited to the legal stuff, when combined with TV viewing data is today’s nirvana for media buyers.

Social media icons Facebook and Twitter are pounding the streets with reports touting their audience reach against primetime US television networks. Twitter and big measurement provider Nielsen began providing a chatter index – Nielsen Twitter TV Rating – at the end of September in the US. Facebook also launched a chatter index for the big four US networks. All of this will eventually be rolled out internationally to meet a certain demand for hard numbers on the relationship between the first and second screens.

Emerging data suggests the “second screen” may actually be the “first screen” for the audience segment highly prized by the advertising people – young folk. Market analytics firm Inizio reported 79% of web users in Sweden are watching TV on mobile devices, the vast majority 5 to 25 year olds. On-the-go young people like their TV short and sweet with plenty of room for Facebook.

“It is groundbreaking, but do not underestimate traditional TV advertising,” said OMD Omnicom Denmark insight director Claus Andersen commenting on the Inizio study to mediawatch.dk (September 30). “Television communication becomes even more important than before because now we can tailor the television message.” But, he added, “the old-fashioned television meter readings need to be replaced by new methods of measurement.”

To further entice media buyers, the Nielsen Company will begin in November offering second screen television data in the Czech Republic. It’s only a test, said Central and Eastern Europe regional managing director Kyriakos Kyriakou. ”Measuring video streaming to all devices is our global strategy but its application in the Czech Republic is not yet decided,” he said, quoted by mediaguru.cz (September 29).

Nielsen is rolling out a software solution for “extended screen” measurement across the globe. It’s available to excited media buyers in 18 European countries, including Poland and Hungary. ”These countries have a long tradition of television measurement, some of the best people and some of the best relationships with clients,” he continued. Joint industry committee Association of Television Organizations (ATO) has contracted metered household television viewing data since 1996.

When ATO awarded the TV measurement provider contract two years ago to local provider Mediaresearch, major broadcaster Nova TV, owned by Central European Media Enterprises (CME) rebelled and formed the Association for Audience Measurement (SPMS). Unhappiness at CME, which does business in the Czech Republic as CET 21, may have had something to do with falling audience shares as new competitive digital channels began appearing. The SPMS conducted its own tender for a measurement provider contract and it was awarded to Nielsen, which had been rejected in the 2011 ATO tender.

The row over measurement is understandable. CME is principally owned by major media house Time Warner and a relationship with major global measurement provider Nielsen has benefits, not the least of which is access to state of the art methods and technology. The remaining ATO members include Czech public television, other local broadcasters and agencies, which may see benefit from a local measurement supplier.

So from next year television measurement in the Czech Republic will be available from two sources. ”I know it is not ideal or a pleasant situation for the industry,” said Mr. Kyriakou, ”but on the other hand, it is not an exceptional case. It’s happened in other countries and in some cases it took many years, for example in Poland.”

The second screen phenomenon, as some would call it, is more a cultural artifact and less gigantic techno-consumer breakthrough. People have always liked to push buttons to see lights flash. What began with the television remote control some forty years ago has now become, through the magic of smartphones, the daily-life video game. Swipe the little screen and magic happens.

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