VOZ Overview
FAQs
Quick answers to commonly asked questions about VOZ.
Virtual Australia, or ‘VOZ’, is the foundation of Australia’s new Total TV reporting standard.
VOZ brings together broadcaster content viewed on TV sets (OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings) and connected devices (OzTAM’s VPM service, which captures online-delivered TV content, or ‘BVOD’) in a single detailed database. Conceived and developed by OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen, VOZ provides all-screen, cross-platform planning and reporting for Australia’s television industry.
Virtual Australia, or ‘VOZ’, is the foundation of Australia’s new Total TV reporting standard. VOZ brings together broadcaster content viewed on TV sets (OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings) and connected devices (OzTAM’s VPM service, which captures online-delivered TV content, or ‘BVOD’) in a single detailed database. Conceived and developed by OzTAM, Regional TAM and […]
OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen have designed a database to represent the Australian population, a ‘Virtual Australia’.
The Television Audience Measurement (TAM) Service uses a robust and large-scale Establishment Survey that collects data from 65,000+ interviews each year about respondents’ homes, TV viewing technologies and the demographics of their household members. In combination with Australian Bureau of Statistics official population data, the VOZ database is constructed to contain 26 million synthesised ‘individuals’ to represent the profile of all Australians.
OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen have designed a database to represent the Australian population, a ‘Virtual Australia’. The Television Audience Measurement (TAM) Service uses a robust and large-scale Establishment Survey that collects data from 65,000+ interviews each year about respondents’ homes, TV viewing technologies and the demographics of their household members. In combination with Australian […]
Australian TV viewing patterns are changing, thanks to the explosion in content, platform and device choice. The average Australian home now has 1.8 TV sets but 6.6 screens in total, and people are using all of them to watch television throughout the day – inside and outside the home. A small but growing number of people do not have access to a TV set, yet they stream broadcast content online. OzTAM, Regional TAM and Nielsen have built VOZ to capture the TV viewing that takes place on all screens.
Australian TV viewing patterns are changing, thanks to the explosion in content, platform and device choice. The average Australian home now has 1.8 TV sets but 6.6 screens in total, and people are using all of them to watch television throughout the day – inside and outside the home. A small but growing number of […]
VOZ captures ‘Total TV’, that is: viewing of Metropolitan, Regional and Subscription TV broadcasters’ (linear) TV content (whether viewed live or played back through the TV set up to 28 days of original broadcast) and also internet-delivered BVOD services. Participating BVOD broadcasters: ABC, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network 10, SBS and Foxtel.
VOZ captures ‘Total TV’, that is: viewing of Metropolitan, Regional and Subscription TV broadcasters’ (linear) TV content (whether viewed live or played back through the TV set up to 28 days of original broadcast) and also internet-delivered BVOD services. Participating BVOD broadcasters: ABC, Seven Network, Nine Network, Network 10, SBS and Foxtel.
VOZ delivers Australia’s first:
- Truly national database of Total Television viewing.
- De-duplicated audience estimates of all the broadcaster content available via broadcast TV or streamed via a connected phone, tablet, computer or TV set (‘Total TV’).
- Total TV audience metrics, including the amount of time people spend watching broadcaster content, the profile of the audience watching, and the time they spend with various platforms and screen types.
VOZ delivers Australia’s first:
VOZ crystallises Australia’s Total TV picture:
- Advertisers and media agencies can create and post-evaluate media plans encompassing TV inventory across all broadcast channels and devices, and manage cross-screen campaigns – including de-duplicated cross-device audience reach goals right up to a national level.
- TV networks can get a complete picture of the audience consuming their content over time and across screens, determine BVOD incremental reach, and optimise their offer across all channels, markets, platforms and devices.
- The media industry gains an objective and transparent Total TV picture of broadcast consumption and campaign performance across all screens in one dataset, nationally.
VOZ crystallises Australia’s Total TV picture:
- VOZ brings broadcast TV ratings estimates derived from 20,000+ viewers in OzTAM, Regional TAM and Rest of Australia panel homes, and 16 million devices streaming TV content (broadcast video on demand, or ‘BVOD’), together in a single, detailed database.
- The VOZ database is constructed to contain 26 million synthesised ‘individuals’ to represent the profile of all Australians using:
- National TAM Establishment Survey data (65,000+ surveys per year);
- Gold Standard TV ratings calculations based on the actual viewing behaviour of 20,000+ individuals in OzTAM, Regional TAM and Rest of Australia panel homes;
- Information from streaming TV meters installed in 2,500+ TV panel homes; and,
- Census level OzTAM VPM (Video Player Measurement) data on 16+ million connected devices playing TV content.
VOZ 5.0 data was released 1st May 2023 for research day Sunday 30th April with back data available from the start of the 2022 research year (26th December 2021).
VOZ 5.0 data was released 1st May 2023 for research day Sunday 30th April with back data available from the start of the 2022 research year (26th December 2021).
Various analysis, planning and evaluation tools enable data subscribers to access VOZ data via third-party software suppliers (TPSS) and the VOZ reach & frequency (R&F) Portal. In addition, weekly top line VOZ reports are available to the public on virtualoz.com.au.
Various analysis, planning and evaluation tools enable data subscribers to access VOZ data via third-party software suppliers (TPSS) and the VOZ reach & frequency (R&F) Portal. In addition, weekly top line VOZ reports are available to the public on virtualoz.com.au.
VOZ provides full national coverage which includes free-to-air and subscription television channels viewed in metropolitan and regional TV markets (including overlap areas) as well as ‘Rest of Australia’. Rest of Australia refers to all other regions of Australia outside of the existing OzTAM and Regional TAM markets, including the combined TV markets of Darwin, Remote Central + Mt Isa, Griffith, Mildura, Spencer Gulf (Port Pirie/Broken Hill) and Riverland/Mt Gambier.
VOZ provides full national coverage which includes free-to-air and subscription television channels viewed in metropolitan and regional TV markets (including overlap areas) as well as ‘Rest of Australia’. Rest of Australia refers to all other regions of Australia outside of the existing OzTAM and Regional TAM markets, including the combined TV markets of Darwin, Remote […]
The target date for VOZ to become currency is calendar year 2024 with VOZ-based trading through VOZ-derived TAM Quarter Hour files after agencies and broadcasters have had time to systematically work towards this transition. TAM Quarter Hour audience files derived from VOZ will be identical in structure and frequency but with a reduced set of demographics. OzTAM, Regional TAM and the broadcasters aim for minimal disruption in order to preserve business continuity.
The target date for VOZ to become currency is calendar year 2024 with VOZ-based trading through VOZ-derived TAM Quarter Hour files after agencies and broadcasters have had time to systematically work towards this transition. TAM Quarter Hour audience files derived from VOZ will be identical in structure and frequency but with a reduced set of […]
As part of the construction of VOZ, OzTAM’s VPM census level data is enhanced via BVOD demographic modelling to deliver person-based estimates of viewing to live and video on-demand streaming broadcaster content.
The demographics available in VOZ (shown in blue below) reflect the demographics currently in the BVOD demographic model and will evolve over time. Additional demographics (35-54, 35-64 and Grocery Shoppers with Children) are included in the VOZ Quarter Hour files and VOZ R&F Portal for broadcast TV but are not available for BVOD results in the VOZ Total TV database.
As part of the construction of VOZ, OzTAM’s VPM census level data is enhanced via BVOD demographic modelling to deliver person-based estimates of viewing to live and video on-demand streaming broadcaster content. The demographics available in VOZ (shown in blue below) reflect the demographics currently in the BVOD demographic model and will evolve over time. […]
Through 2023, broadcast TV and BVOD will continue to be reported separately (in OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings, and OzTAM’s Video Player Measurement (VPM) service, respectively) allowing a period of transition for the industry.
Through 2023, broadcast TV and BVOD will continue to be reported separately (in OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings, and OzTAM’s Video Player Measurement (VPM) service, respectively) allowing a period of transition for the industry.
VOZ data is delivered overnight for the previous day at 12:30pm* based on preliminary log information. Overnight data based on confirmed log information is released the following day (Saturday, Sunday, Monday data delivered on Tuesdays) at 12:30pm. *Further optimisation of delivery time is included in the VOZ 2023 roadmap.
VOZ data is delivered overnight for the previous day at 12:30pm* based on preliminary log information. Overnight data based on confirmed log information is released the following day (Saturday, Sunday, Monday data delivered on Tuesdays) at 12:30pm. *Further optimisation of delivery time is included in the VOZ 2023 roadmap.
VOZ delivers Overnight and Consolidated 7-day data reporting (traditional ‘What Watched’ reporting), although the VOZ database also provides the capability to deliver ‘When Watched’ reporting.
The TAM (OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings) databases are produced, and reporting is delivered, on a ‘What Watched’ basis. That means viewing, whenever it takes place during the 7 days following original broadcast (such as time-shifted a few days later), is attributed back to the time that the program first went to air. In other words, viewing is consolidated to the broadcast TV event.
VOZ databases are produced on a ‘When Watched’ basis, though offer both ‘What Watched’ and ‘When Watched reporting capabilities.
In ‘When Watched’ reporting, viewing is attributed to the time that the content was actually viewed. This is an important new perspective that VOZ offers on how broadcaster content is consumed over time, because a ‘When Watched’ database is able to show when that program was actually viewed, thereby revealing the ‘long tail’ of audience behaviour. Because the viewer determines the time at which they watch the content, BVOD viewing is, by definition, When Watched.
As VOZ is created as a ‘When Watched’ database it is possible to accumulate up to 28 days (current operational parameters of TAM service) of time-shifted viewing, however the core service delivery for VOZ of Overnight and Consolidated 7 data aligns with the current commercial trading framework.
With respect to program rankings and audience thousands however, VOZ is able to report on the same Consolidated 7 (i.e. ‘What Watched’) basis as the TV ratings service, to facilitate user analysis.
VOZ delivers Overnight and Consolidated 7-day data reporting (traditional ‘What Watched’ reporting), although the VOZ database also provides the capability to deliver ‘When Watched’ reporting. The TAM (OzTAM and Regional TAM TV ratings) databases are produced, and reporting is delivered, on a ‘What Watched’ basis. That means viewing, whenever it takes place during the 7 […]
User data that contributes to VOZ is fully anonymised. All OzTAM and Regional TAM TV audience measurement panel households opt-in with full consent. OzTAM and Regional TAM collect no information that can identify the person(s) that owns or uses individual devices. With respect to viewing on connected devices, users have given their consent to the broadcasters to use broadcasters’ websites and/or apps. The streaming TV meters only look for broadcast viewing activity and platform level IP addresses for over-the-top and subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) services. VOZ and the elements needed to deliver it meet Australian privacy standards.
User data that contributes to VOZ is fully anonymised. All OzTAM and Regional TAM TV audience measurement panel households opt-in with full consent. OzTAM and Regional TAM collect no information that can identify the person(s) that owns or uses individual devices. With respect to viewing on connected devices, users have given their consent to the […]
While VOZ is technically capable of reporting SVOD and other video providers, that falls outside the current specifications of the VOZ service.
While VOZ is technically capable of reporting SVOD and other video providers, that falls outside the current specifications of the VOZ service.
