“However you cut it….” Nine and Seven at odds over ratings rule

It’s the end of the TV ratings survey and Seven and Nine are not seeing eye to eye on ratings results. What’s new?

Both are agreed Seven won total people in metro survey and Nine won the demos in metro survey.

But it’s all downhill from there.

At the heart of the matter is Seven’s enthusiasm to reflect national results, following its acquisition of the former Prime TV network.

Seven claimed further victories in Total People and 16-39 after adding its metro + regional numbers.

According to OzTAM networks are entitled to add metro and regional numbers for individual programs, with some caveats.

But it also specifies, “no other audience estimates are to be combined.”

Hamish Turner, Programming Director at Nine told TV Tonight, “There are very clear guidelines as to what the official metrics are. You can’t slice and dice share based on OzTAM and RegionalTAM.

“People need to be policing it, basically, for anyone to pick it up…. this is the first real official release marking the end of survey.”

Seven, by way of explanation, referred to a statement by CEO James Warburton in March, in which he advocated for further ratings evolution.

“Seven continues to work constructively with OzTAM and Regional TAM, the other networks and the Media Federation of Australia to ensure our ratings data reflects the changes in national viewing behaviour,” he said.

In their press releases, Warburton noted, “We are #1 nationally, #1 metro, #1 regionally, #1 in total television – no matter how you cut it.” But Michael Stephenson, Nine’s Chief Sales Officer, even said: “It doesn’t matter how you want to look at it or how you want to cut the numbers, for the fourth year in a row, Nine is the undisputed leader.”

Confused much?

OzTAM, owned jointly by Seven, Nine and 10, declined to comment on the matter around adding metro + regional shares.

A fly on the wall at the next board meeting may have front row to how that pans out…

Meanwhile James Warburton, said in a further statement, “Seven is disappointed to read a number of false and misleading statements by Nine in its 2022 survey year ratings report.

“Seven is the #1 network nationally, #1 in metropolitan markets, #1 in regional markets, #1 in total TV and #1 in total TV advertising revenue.

“Nine can rightfully lay claim to winning the demographics in metropolitan markets, but it is not the most-watched or the #1 network. Those positions were won by Seven.

“While we all enjoy healthy competition in a hard-fought ratings race, Nine’s claims are desperate, misleading and wrong.”

Nine’s Turner also told TV Tonight, “On the official OzTAM metrics we’ve won everything except for survey, network (share).

“They’ve won Total People, survey.

“We have clearly won BVOD with a 49 commercial share. That’s been a fantastic result driven a lot by the strong linear brands and the live consumption of audience, but also some big VOD consumption on those brands like Love Island, The Block and Married at First Sight, which has done over 550,000 VOD numbers per episode,” he continued.

“It’s been about consistency, being laser-focused on that demographic result, and delivering that audience to all our platforms. Obviously, the viewing experience has fragmented over time, but the one thing that hasn’t changed is that it’s big content, big ideas, watched on the big screen at home. And that’s what we’re seeing on 9Now. Increasingly people are watching via that connected TV, in their living rooms. It’s the same viewing experience they’ve always had. It’s just a shift in how that content has been distributed to the market.”

Turner also cited Lego Masters, Underbelly: Vanishing Act, Travel Guides, A Current Affair and State of Origin amongst other 2022 successes.

Nine also did well outside of survey with the Australia Open with the Women’s Final Presentation recording a Total TV audience of 4.1 million.

Perhaps in a sign of some agreement on ratings evolution, Turner advocated for a complete abandonment of the 40 week survey in favour of Calendar year results.

“The survey period is an interesting one given that it was something that was devised at a time when there were five channels. Now there is a plethora of competition both behind paywalls and in the free space. We very much commission based on a 52 week year. So Snackmasters launches next Monday and our new Australian content doesn’t stop.

“We continue to deliver for the audience all year round.”

It’s not clear if Seven will join in that call while Nine owns the Tennis.