TORONTO – The disappearance of Canadian television viewers aged 18 – 24 has been greatly exaggerated.
According to a presentation at a Television Bureau of Canada event at Advertising Week, these younger viewers have been reclaimed thanks to the portable people meters (PPM) launched by BBM Canada last August.
These new viewers did not simply materialize, they are viewers who weren’t being captured by the old set-top meters, said the presentation by Kathy Gardner, SVP of strategic insight and research at Canwest Broadcasting, and Rob Dilworth, VP of research at CTV Television.
National television audiences are on average 18% higher than the same period last year since the launch of PPMs. BBM data shows that TV viewing by the 18 – 24 demographic was 66% higher than the same period last year, the largest jump of any demographic. The passive measurement of PPM, particularly its ability to capture out-of-home-viewing, was credited with the increase.
PPM also has the potential for many future applications, the presentation continued. All forms of video content (VOD, on-line, mobile) could be encoded, allowing advertisers to measure their multi-screen video and/or radio campaigns. Commercials, music, or any medium with an audio component could carry unique codes allowing advertisers to also build PPM panels of their customers. And, PPM data could be fused to product usage studies already in existence allowing advertisers to match their customers with specific stations or programs.
