VideoAmp is rolling out second-by-second ad viewership as a deal currency, drawing on experience with Paramount’s BET as an early adopter measuring viewership not only of commercials but also longer form branded content during its BET Awards last summer.

Second-by-second reporting for TV—in all its many forms—is still relatively rare for use as currency in deals, as ratings from Nielsen are still done based on average commercial minute viewing across programs or commercial pods. But Nielsen last year announced plans to roll out individual commercial measurements (still planned as part of the rollout of Nielsen One later this year, a spokesman said). And other measurement firms—including Comscore and iSpot.tv—previously have touted their ability to measure ads on a second-by-second basis. As early as last decade, Nielsen was working on a limited basis on second-by-second data from its household panel.
 

Still seconds haven't figured into currency in TV deals generally. But as the industry moves toward common measurement of video—whether it be on linear TV, connected TV or elsewhere online—that will require second-by-second measurement. The Media Rating Council’s cross-media measurement standard, for example, calls for “duration weighting” of ads that involves measuring how much of an ad was viewed regardless of whether it was on a TV set, phone, tablet or desktop computer.

Generally, the industry is moving toward doing deals based on impressions rather than ratings of average commercial minutes, said VideoAmp Chief Measurability Officer Josh Chasin. VideoAmp’s measurement is one more move in that direction, combining input from smart TVs and cable or satellite set-top boxes covering more than 39 million homes.

Analysis using actual commercial seconds opens the door for publishers to build value of inventory, for example, by showing how an advertiser’s reach builds throughout a program, Chasin said. And advertisers can evaluate how their ads performed at maintaining viewership compared to others, see how frequency of ads within a program affects viewership, and look at how various custom audiences watched ads.

Second-by-second analytics is probably most useful for such things as sports and award shows, where people are more likely to switch channels during viewing than with other programming, Chasin said.

BET used advanced metrics leveraging VideoAmp’s second-by-second offering to understand key moments during the 2022 BET Awards in June, including how well the show reached high-value audiences for advertisers, like groups described as “change makers” and “cultural influencers.”

“I think it gives [advertisers] information about how their audience is engaging in particular content,” said Louis Carr, president of media sales for BET. “We know content is fluid, but it basically says this is the strongest and this is where they saw and engaged the most.” It can also help determine what messaging resonates the most with each audience segment.

For the BET Awards, second-by-second analytics went well beyond measuring standard commercials to also measure branded content and longer-form advertising from marketers such as Procter & Gamble Co., Carr said.

“Because the messages are so varied, it really tells you what is working,” he said. “If you look at P&G, they had both traditional commercials, but also branded content and non-traditional commercials. It gives them an idea of does it all work together? Does one work better than the other when you’re trying to influence this audience?”

At least initially, BET will most likely use second-by-second analytics primarily for major tentpole events like the BET Awards, Carr said, though it may eventually shift to other programming.

BET teams used the data to identify the most compelling program elements, such as show performances, commercials and host presentations, Berj Kazanjian, senior VP of ad sales research at BET, said in a statement. Ultimately, the advanced metrics will help BET enhance content, improve reach and deepen engagement, he said.