Foxtel used its virtual showcase, coming immediately after the upfronts of the free-to-air networks, to position the cable and streaming player as a superior vehicle when it comes to tracking audiences on multiple platforms.
The name of the game and, according to Foxtel, the market-beating function, is to be able to measure in depth both digital and broadcast views of subscribers.
Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain hammered the point home, comparing his platform, Foxtel Xplore, to the data available to advertisers in the free-to-air sector.
He referred to “our dear frenemies” who have made “many big claims” in the last few weeks.
“But at the end of the day, they're broadcast TV … TV information,” he told the showcase webcast. “The main part of that business is reliant on panel data and inference.”
Xplore includes both broadcast TV and streaming viewing data, from more than 1.1 million IQ3/IQ4 set-top boxes and 1.2 million digital devices via streaming platforms Foxtel Now and Foxtel Go.
“In television, not all impressions are created equal. And our offering has always been a little bit different to our free-to-air friends,” Frain says.
“At Foxtel, we've always known our audiences are highly engaged. Our viewers pay for their subscription, so they value their content even more and they more actively choose to watch it.”
Media agencies picked up on Foxtel Xplore. “Measurement across digital and broadcast has been highly anticipated by advertisers,” says Sarah Tillitt, interactive director, OMD Sydney.
Mark Coad, CEO of IPG Mediabrands Australia, says Foxtel’s unique position is that it combines the data of traditional viewership on their set top box with online viewers in Foxtel Go/Foxtel Now.
"This provides them the scale to rival the big networks – plus they’re armed with quality premium content across multiple screens," Coad told AdNews.
"With Kayo added to this – we’ll be able to get rich data on a large footprint by household and by vertical. It also means we can create deeper, richer marketing campaign experiences with Foxtel consumers at scale.
Foxtel's Frain described it as changing the game by launching the "only connected analytical collusive solution" across broadcast television and digital.
“This platform surfaces all sorts of cool stuff, which might spark ideas for future planning, and insight into what makes Aussies tick as revealed by what they watch," says Frain.
“For example, we saw an increase of six times in mobile viewing across our news networks as people couldn't help but tune in from wherever they were to watch the chaos unfold during the first presidential debate.
“We've discovered that 5% of hardcore NRL fans not only love to keep score, but also love to keep up with the Kardashians.
“Geelong and Richmond fans have more in common than they might have otherwise thought, except that Geelong fans also liked to watch Bargain Hunt and Midsomer Murders.”
Frain says marketers and agencies, looking through the haze of the pandemic, need simple, effective solutions.
“With less money to spend, you need to make smarter decisions, you need media that works and ads that get noticed,” he says.
“We are more than the fourth line in a TV plan and we have more than a TV company that does a bit of digital on the side.
“Today we bring you the collective smarts and growing scale of the Foxtel group to advertisers, uniting all of Foxtel's platforms into a powerful, intelligent video offering.
“We are the number one for live and on-demand BVOD consumption. Kayo and Binge are recording record growth and continue to grow exponentially.
“We’ve stood in front of you many times before and made some pretty big promises.
“You guys are building your own machines. Clients are cleaning up their CRM systems. So you know, that digital transformation takes a lot of time, a lot of money and a lot of specialised talent.
“We're thrilled and, dare I say, relatively relieved, to share the news that viewing and audience data from Foxtel platforms is now all in one place.
“It's built to be agnostic with any martech or adtech that you use. And it is the only product in the market that truly connects audience across broadcast, TV and digital."
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