RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CA — In the television industry’s move toward new measurement standards, much of the focus has been on the proliferation of new currencies. But what if simply swapping out one ratings provider for several alternatives doesn’t address the foundational challenges?
With viewers scattered across countless linear and streaming services, the accuracy of any measurement system owes much to its ability to first identify precisely what is being watched.
Having evolved from a DVR pioneer that first disrupted linear schedules into a data and technology provider, TiVo now argues that the metadata identifying content is a critical and overlooked element in the quest for better cross-platform measurement.
Fueling alternative currencies
TiVo wants to position itself not as a measurement provider, but as an independent source of data that can power the next generation of measurement systems. The company has “no skin in the game” when it comes to the currency wars, said Fariba Zamaniyan, global VP, data monetization, TiVo, in this video interview with Beet.TV, allowing it to serve as a neutral supplier of foundational content information.
That strategy was recently demonstrated through a partnership with Comscore, which will integrate TiVo’s program metadata into its own cross-platform audience measurement products. The collaboration aims to unify content identification across linear TV and streaming, giving a clearer picture of viewing habits in an increasingly complex environment.
Zamaniyan said the goal is to “enable them to identify with precision in a very fragmented world, content available on streaming as well as linear that they can then perfect in their cross-platform measurement products.”
The demand for depth
As the industry moves away from a singular focus on scale, the demand for quality and precision has grown. For measurement to be effective across platforms, it requires a level of coverage that can distinguish between nationally broadcast content and highly specific local programming.
“That depth covers not just content that’s available nationally, but locally, such as team level sports that we can identify in local markets where they’re available that can be identified and then measured,” Zamaniyan noted.
In doing so, Zamaniyan believes TiVo can help foster a more competitive and innovative measurement ecosystem. The presence of multiple, viable options is ultimately what will benefit the entire industry.
AI puts data under the microscope
Zamaniyan sees artificial intelligence rapidly accelerating the evolution of measurement. However, the rise of AI will also place an even greater emphasis on the quality of the underlying data powering these advanced systems, forcing the industry to confront the age-old problem of “garbage in, garbage out.”
“The data that drives and powers those systems is going to go even more so under the microscope in terms of ensuring that it can be commingled, it’s interoperable, and that it’s high quality and accurate,” she said.
Ultimately, Zamaniyan predicted AI will transform measurement from a practice of backward-looking calculation to one of forward-looking prediction, where machines devise optimal media plans based on desired outcomes
“It’s going to be a very seamless process that is going to be of higher precision… that will rely less on some of the art that we’ve cultivated over the years through various measurement techniques and rely more on the machines to give us that that sense of accuracy and predictability,” she said.
Xperi’s TiVo Expands Beyond DVR Roots Based on Troves of Viewer Data: Fariba Zamaniyan
