Measuring the stream
T
hat global uptake of streaming and over-the-top media services exploded during the pandemic is no longer big news. Millions were locked down across the world, desperate for some respite from the frightening news. And so they subscribed, gorging on everything from Bridgerton to Ozark in an effort to escape the pandemic. Netflix added an astounding 36 million-odd subscribers globally in 2020, topping the 200 million mark. In South Africa, African streamer Showmax reported a 50% upswing in users, and quickly added live news and education channels. 26 I T H E M E D I A
26-27_TheMedia_June2021_Streaming.indd 26
Now the competition is hotting up on the home front. Besides Netflix and Showmax, viewers can also subscribe to Acorn TV, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, DStv Now and Viu. The financially pressured South African Broadcasting Corporation, instead of launching its own competitive service, has partnered with Viu SA. The popular BritBox, a partnership between the BBC and ITV, is entering the South African market in the second half of this year. With all the new viewers logging in to streaming services, the ability to measure these audiences has become imperative. While many streamers mostly rely on subscriptions rather than advertising for income, this is
beginning to change. New platforms and services are emerging, many of them ad supported. Original content costs a lot to produce, as Netflix and Showmax know only too well. Ad-supported video-on-demand (VOD), said Nielsen recently, is a “big part of the future of TV”.
TAKING A CLEARER VIEW
Enter Nielsen ONE. Announcing the launch late last year, Nielsen described it is a “single, cross-media solution to drive more comparable and comprehensive metrics across platforms”. And, it added, “With Nielsen ONE, advertisers and publishers will be able to transact using a single metric across linear and digital that is trusted, independent and standardised across the industry.” It will come into effect in 2022.
themediaonline.co.za
30.06.21 12:00
IMAGE: SUPPLIED
With changing viewing habits come changing measurement tactics. GLENDA NEVILL eyes up our evolving metrics.
