News & Views

Barb, the UK television audience measurement currency, has today announced a once-in-a-generation upgrade in its audience reporting with the introduction of subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) and video-sharing platform measurement.

Barb is now able to measure the reach and total time spent viewing SVOD services such as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix, and video-sharing platforms like TikTok, Twitch and YouTube, regardless of whether these services have chosen to subscribe to Barb, through data collected from router meters installed in Barb panel homes.

In addition, Barb can also now report the audiences to programmes viewed on TV sets on the most-watched SVOD services in Barb panel homes (Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix), whether they are Barb subscribers or not, using Kantar’s SVOD programme measurement system.

In an exclusive preview of the type of new data that is now available, Barb can reveal the most-watched programmes across all broadcast channels and streaming services in October 2021 (1). This shows that Netflix’s Squid Game ranked in tenth place with 5.774m viewers, after BBC 1’s Strictly Come Dancing (10.435m), Channel 4’s The Great British Bake Off (8.889m) and ITV’s The Larkins (6.580m) in the top three spots respectively.

A further three Netflix shows and one Disney+ title, Black Widow, placed in the top 100 most-watched programmes in October. Amazon Prime Video’s highest-ranked entry didn’t make it into the top 100 for this calendar month.

Justin Sampson, Barb’s Chief Executive, said:

“Understanding people is at the heart of Barb’s remit and it’s been clear for some time that streaming services have started to attract viewers who have traditionally relied solely on linear channels for their viewing entertainment.”

“It’s great news for the television and advertising industry that we’re upgrading our always-on measurement service to include SVOD and video-sharing platforms. For the first time there is audience measurement for these services that bears all the hallmarks of a joint-industry currency: independence, objectivity and transparency.”

As a result of these new audience-reporting capabilities, Barb has updated its definition of total television viewing to Total identified viewing with three constituent parts:

• Total broadcaster viewing – time spent watching linear broadcast channels and BVOD services, including live viewing, pre- and post-broadcast viewing and viewing to archive box-sets on a BVOD service. Viewing is reported across four screens (TV sets, tablets, PCs and smartphones). For tagged services, this includes any viewing streamed through something other than the home WiFi network.
• Total SVOD/AVOD viewing – time spent viewing 16 VOD services, including Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Netflix, on four screens. This only includes viewing through a home’s WiFi network.
• Total video-sharing viewing –time spent viewing platforms such as TikTok, Twitch and YouTube, on four screens, through a home’s WiFi network.

In October 2021, total identified viewing by everyone aged 4+ was 231 minutes per day, of which 156 minutes (or 68%) was total broadcaster viewing; 35 minutes was total SVOD/AVOD viewing, and 40 minutes was total video-sharing viewing (2).

SVOD and video-sharing viewing data are now part of Barb’s daily reporting. Viewing data for Barb-subscribing SVOD and video-sharing platforms are available to Barb clients through viewing analysis software and data-processing bureaux. Viewing data for non-Barb-subscribing SVOD and video-sharing platforms are accessible through data-processing bureaux for Barb clients that hold a section 9 licence (3).

From January 2022, Barb’s website will feature a regular monthly breakdown of total identified viewing, with additional archive reports and trend data available exclusively for Barb clients through Barb’s subscriber portal, What People Watch.

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

(1)

(2)

(3) Details of Barb’s section 9 licence can be found on page 13 of Barb’s rate card. As the viewing data for non-BARB-reported SVOD and video-sharing platforms are being produced without the owners requesting for their services to be reported, the section 9 licence is only available for purchase by specific licensees and for limited purposes. For more information, please contact Barb’s Client Services Manager, Sarah Mowbray: sarah.mowbray@barb.co.uk