News

News | | Symphony Advanced Media Unveils Groundbreaking Video and Cross-Media Measurement Solution

Symphony Advanced Media Unveils Groundbreaking Video and Cross-Media Measurement Solution

At a time when advertisers are seeking to reach consumers via the continuously fragmenting TV ecosystem, Symphony Advanced Media has today announced the launch of VideoPulse™, the first single source TV multi-platform measurement service for advertisers, agencies and media companies. VideoPulse captures and provides in-depth insights into consumer media usage in real-time from over-the-top (OTT), video-on-demand (VOD), digital video audiences (Web, app, and gaming devices), DVR and linear TV.

Available immediately, VideoPulse is already undergoing beta testing by NBC, Viacom, Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights and A+E Networks.

“There has been a significant void in understanding how consumers are using non-traditional media platforms, but innovation has finally arrived in the media measurement space,” said Charles Buchwalter, President & CEO of Symphony Advanced Media. “Symphony Advanced Media can now track the cross-media, cross-platform behavior of consumers in the fastest growing mode of TV and video viewing, allowing the market to extend beyond the current industry accepted norm of Live viewing plus 7 days ratings. In fact, our research has found that almost 25 percent of TV viewing is occurring beyond seven days after original broadcast via the usage of DVRs, VOD and OTT devices. We are the only company that has been able to crack the code on single source, passive cross-media measurement.”

Other significant findings based on the VideoPulse platform, include:

• Measurement Difficulties: Millennial TV viewership is said to have declined nearly 30 percent in the last five years since current research methods primarily include traditional viewing. Symphony Advanced Media’s research indicates that 25 percent of TV viewership is non-traditional viewing, so when including viewing beyond Live+7 and on OTT, the gap from the presumed loss of millennials’ viewing of traditional TV is nearly filled.

• Streaming Methods: Different demographic groups use different methods for time shifting television and watching it when and where they want. Within non-live viewing, Netflix accounts for 3.5 times more viewing time among 18-34-year-olds while DVR is three times larger than Netflix among 35-49-year-olds.

• Binge Viewing’s Impact: Introducing a whole season’s episodes at once to promote binge viewing is a powerful new method of launching a television program. Netflix’s launch of Orange Is The New Black’s third season this past June reduced viewing of traditional television nearly 20 percent in the first week among viewers of the program.

“Our industry has been disadvantaged by legacy measurement approaches that have failed to evolve with consumers’ increasing use of media platforms,” said Liz Huszarik, Executive Vice President, Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights. “We are hopeful that by working with Symphony Advanced Media’s VideoPulse that we can capture an accurate picture of consumers’ total TV/video usage across platforms and devices, with a transparency that’s been missing from other vendors.”

VideoPulse™ is part of Symphony Advanced Media’s MediaPulse Analytic Platform, which facilitates wholly new approaches in cross-media measurement technology, including the creation of:

•Mobile app and PC based technology that leverages patented innovations in passively tracking simultaneous exposure to television, online, social and mobile media plus radio and cinema ad measurement.

•Ad effectiveness survey methodologies to generate significantly more reliable test and control groups, resulting in heightened accuracy in lift metrics.

Symphony Advanced Media introduced VideoPulse at an executive breakfast event earlier today at The Four Seasons Hotel in New York City where industry leaders, including Dave Moore (WPP/Xaxis), Alan Wurtzel (NBC), Colleen Fahey Rush (Viacom), Liz Huszarik (Warner Bros. Media Research & Insights), Shelley Zalis (TFQ Ventures), Wenda Harris Millard (MediaLink) and Romesh Wadhwani (Symphony Technology Group) discussed the persistent challenges facing the media measurement world.