To measure Spain DTT’s audiencies is not an easy task. At trade show Broadcast 2009, taking place in Madrid this week, a group of executives from Spanish national broadcasters Antena 3, laSexta, Veo TV and Net TV have complained that neither advertisers nor the companies who measure TV audiences are ready for the new digital TV market.
In particular Bern Reichart, Antena 3’s digital channels director, complained of the fact the advertising market is proving itself “very slow” to adapt itself to the new situation. Although convinced the classical model for financing the TV channels through advertisements “is still working”, he added “advertisers haven’t learnt to play in a different scenario where there are many more channels and the pie is more sliced too consequently”.
Reichart underlined that advertisers are “obsessed” with DTT coverage so Antena 3 has decided to sell its advertisements as a block for all its digital TV channels.
LaSexta’s operations director Fernando de Miguel highlighted that contrary to what has happened so far with the arrival of the new DTT channels the audiovisual market “is not possible and its situation will not survive by any means” if it is financed only by advertisements. Financing sources must diversify, he said. De Miguel also underlined that audience measurement company Sofres “has a lot to correct to get all the present TV plurality”. Sofres is less accurate with viewing shares that are under 4%, an audience percentage in which many DTT channels will move around, according to him.
Media group Vocento’s general director, also DTT channel Net TV’s CEO, José María Martín Guirao said: “The TV business has to reinvent itself.” For that purpose he bets on advertising that targets viewers rather than the audiences in general. In this sense he complained the present measuring systems “are not ready” and finally he said the Sofres panel “can be bettered”.
The Sofres’ panel takes into account around 65% of DTT homes but it has forecast to put it up to 100% when the national analogue switch off happens in April 2010. Sofres recently announced an imminent increase in its measurement panel of 17%, from the 3,850 homes it currently measures, to 4,500.
