Metrics and Measurement

Panelists: Bruce Leichtman, Leichtman Research Group; Stacey Lynn Schulman, Turner Broadcasting; Maury Giles, GSD&M Idea City; Jim Nail, Symphony

What I began to as interesting was how my dissertation research could be of importance to those wanting to count and categorize consumers.  Apparently, measuring audiences isn’t easy and certainly far from an exact science. 

“Engagement” was probably the buzzword of the conference. Some of the questions the panel said they were asking were: how can you account for various forms and qualities of engagement. Over the past several years, a range of different companies have proposed alternative systems for measuring engagement. What are the strengths and limits of these competing models? What aspects of audience activity do they account for? What value do they place on different forms of engagement? "Passion Points"!

Debate over appointment viewing // tracking consumption // can there be a metric that crosses media platforms? // companies tracking conversations about TV online - who's watching what, where, qualitative -- for LOST, it was #2-3 of all shows being discussed online before it even aired.  And V. Mars / Jericho were big in buzz online but not with tradition metrics.

JN: Viewers react emotionally first, rationally second, then purchase.  So, how to hit viewers in the gut? But it's really hard to measure, so it doesn't have solid “currency.”

SLS: We used to look at points of contact with particular media content -- how many ways a consumer connects to a show, for example.
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Nonetheless, the panel did speak of the measurements they had made:

BL spoke of the being conservative for the time being because we are still in a transitional period.  The mean avg. is 6 minutes per user of online video viewing, so why put all your shows online and bust your revenue model?

Also, BL: But “pull” isn't always the way it works, “push” works too: DVRs weren't big until they were put into a satellite box, and then a cable box and cableHD box.  But interest in DVRs has stayed constant (And many of these folks don't/didn't even know they had a DVR in their boxes).  He predicts 15% in coming years for all viewing times, much more conservative than others.