Unified ad measurement in Australia needs collaboration

The Video Futures Collective (VFC) and OzTAM are two pivotal players in the Australian media landscape, both focused on audience measurement for television and video content, but with distinct approaches, histories, and stakeholders. OzTAM emerged from the old free-to-air TV oligopoly many years ago, while VFC is a newcomer with roots in the online world. Netflix’s decision this week to work with OzTAM therefore seems an anomaly. In fact, it reflects a deep common interest. OzTAM has been developing its own online measurement approach, and it makes sense for online operators to contribute to (and of course influence) that development. The holy grail is a unified ad measurement system that ad agencies can use to support unified campaigns across all broadcast and online channels, including social media. Ultimately, we think that the ad industry will demand that VFC and OzTAM collaborate to achieve this.