New Metrics Pay Extra 'Attention' To TV Viewers' Screen Time
- by Wayne Friedman , March 20, 2017
Using its “vision technology,” TVision Insights says its findings for top TV shows should be considered differently versus other third-party research companies touting pure traditional viewership measured data.
The company says its technology measures the time, second-by-second, that viewers' eyes are focusing a TV screen. The data was collected anonymously and passively from some 7,500 individuals across 2,000 opt-in panelist households in Boston, Chicago and Dallas measured in the fourth quarter of 2016.
Top-ten broadcast prime-time shows, by what the company says is “attention,” include: CW’s “Crazy Ex Girlfriend,” Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow,” NBC’s “Superstore,” CW’s “Arrow,” NBC’s “Timeless,” Fox’s “Lucifer,” NBC’s “Identity Thief,” CBS’ “Undercover Boss,” CBS’ “Pure Genius” and NBC’s “Chicago Med.”
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Top five cable prime-time shows are Travel Channel’s “Hotel Impossible,” Nat Geo’s “Years of Living Dangerously,” BBC America’s “Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency,” truTV’s “Hack My Life” and A&E’s “Going Si-ral.”
Nine of the top-ten highest “attention” subscription video-on-demand shows all came from Netflix, including “Fuller House,” “The Fall,” “Word Party,” “Trollhunters” and “The Crown.”
TVision Insights says its ranking is based on the sum of seconds of “attention,” divided by the sum of seconds that a person is in the room.
TVision Insights also touted the highest co-viewing networks: CNN was tops, then ESPN2, followed by AMC, Freeform and HBO Family. Highest individual co-viewing shows: ABC’s “Last Man Standing,” ABC’s “The Middle” and ABC’s “20/20.”
Research also says viewers age 55 to 64 pay the most attention to programming, while those under 24 years old give the least attention. Viewers 25-34 pay the most attention to commercials, with men giving more attention to programming and commercials than women.
My suggestion to the folks at TVision is simple. If you want people to understand what the numbers might mean---and I happen to be the leading advocate of TV attentiveness studies, so I'm all for this kind of research----start putting out some normative data, not just scintillating indices. For example, what percentage of the average adult's total "in the room" time across all TV shows, is "eyes-on-screen" time? I suspect that the answer---based on many studies, including observational ones-----is around 50%. Given that norm---if it is approximately what TVision is finding---an index of 141----or an attentiveness score of 71%---- makes some sense and is easy not only to comprehend but also, to explain to others in the decision chain. The next thing that I would like to see is a breakdown by daypart, program type, network type and demos. All of which creates a framework for the possible use of the show by show findings, which is where this new service is heading---if it hopes to become a qualitative refinement for Nielsen ratings. Oh---I almost forgot--- if TVision really wants to get some attention, what about telling us what percent of its panel stays in the room during commercials---compared to program content---and what is the average "eyes-on" rate for such "viewers" per 30-second commercial? Here, too, I've seen lots of evidence that tells me that the findings will be lower than when program content is on----but hardly zero---as some seem to believe.
Great points Ed. We are working on this and hold your perspective in high regard.