Worlds of Measurement

Both established and nascent entities have recently rolled out cross-platform measurement solutions covering audience engagement of content, and although the methodologies used vary, the thrusts are aligned: proffer data on fans’ Web and/or linear interaction with particular shows to advertisers and programmers, who may then make more informed decisions in their efforts to reach those fans.

TiVo and Web-based audience insights service Quantcast partnered to analyze and evaluate the correlation between TV viewership and online activity. Using a sample of 35K HHs and melding TiVo’s Power||Watch program/commercial ratings with Quantcast’s direct Web measurement data, the pair will produce reports covering ad effectiveness, cross-platform media consumption and programming affinity. Through the partnership, “brands will have a powerful new tool to measure marketing ROI, by measuring the web activity generated by their television advertising—and vice-versa,” said TiVo Audience Research & Measurement vp/gm Todd Juenger. For example, advertisers can analyze the combined versus independent reach/frequency of TV and Internet advertising, while media companies can parse the consumption of video content, TV-only versus Web-only versus combined.   

New market entrant Wetpaint, meanwhile, bowed the Wetpaint TV Fandex, which aims to complement Nielsen’s linear data by measuring both the online footprint of popular shows with an established fan base, as well as the early online buzz being generated by emerging series. Mixing search, social media, and fansite activity, the Fandex “provides networks and producers with the first gauge of the winners and losers in creating and retaining an online audience,” said Wetpaint CEO Ben Elowitz. In a phrase: measuring online engagement of shows rather than just linear viewership. The initial Fandex results, which will be updated weekly, found HBO’s “True Blood” on top, with Showtime’s “Weeds” (#4) and “The Tudors” (#9) also hitting the top 10.