The UK audience measurement company BARB has announced a major upgrade to its audience reporting service. In a “once-in-a-generation” extension of its measurement data, it will now track and report audience SVOD viewing times as well as viewing on video-sharing platforms such as Tiktok, Twitch and YouTube. Importantly, it can gather viewing data about SVODs and video-platforms without those services being subscribed to BARB, by installing router and software meters in BARB panel homes/devices. It can also draw data about the size of audiences for shows on the most-watched SVODs, using Kantar’s SVOD programme measurement system.
The BARB panel consists of a sample of 5300 homes (totalling 12,000 inhabitants) that are representative of household types, demographics and geography in the UK. Panel members use a handset to register when they sit down in front of a viewing device so the company knows who is consuming content at any given moment, and to ensure the integrity of the data, BARB regularly reviews data gathered to detect anomalous viewing behaviour or failures to appropriately register by viewers.
In a sample of its data, BARB revealed that Netflix’s Squid Game – despite its enormous global success – only ranked in tenth place in the UK for most viewed programmes in October 2021, with 5.477 million viewers. Only three Netflix shows and one Disney+ title made the cut for top 100 most watched programmes, while Amazon Prime Video did not contribute a single show to the list. The podium positions for most popular shows in the UK were dominated by three broadcaster programmes – BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing (10.435 million viewers), Channel 4’s The Great British Bakeoff (8.889 million) and ITV’s The Larkins (6.58 million).
To reflect its enhanced measurement reporting, BARB has also updated its audience viewing categories. The category of total broadcaster viewing denotes time spent watching linear broadcast channels and BVOD services, including live-viewing, pre- and post-broadcast viewing and archived BVOD content. Total SVOD/AVOD viewing is time spent viewing 16 video-on-demand services (including Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and Disney+) on up to four screens – however, this only includes viewing through household Wi-Fi. Total video-sharing viewing includes viewing time on platforms such as TikTok, Twitch and YouTube – again, on up to four screens and through the home’s Wi-Fi.
Based on the updated viewing categories, BARB reported that the total identified viewing time by everyone aged 4+ averaged at 231 minutes per day for October 2021. Out of that viewing time, 156 minutes (68%) was the total broadcaster viewing, 35 minutes total SVOD/AVOD viewing, and 40 minutes was the total video-sharing viewing.
“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.”
Viewing data for BARB-subscribing SVODs and video-sharing platforms is available to BARB clients through viewing analysis software and data-processing bureaux, while data for non-BARB-subscribing services are accessible for clients that hold a section 9 license. The company will feature a monthly breakdown on total identified viewing (as well as archive reports and trend data) accessible to clients through its subscriber portal, What People Watch.
