Foxtel Media nabs former OzTAM CEO to drive measurement system
Foxtel Media has hired audience measurement expert and former OzTAM CEO Doug Peiffer to drive its inhouse audience measurement system.
Peiffer will join Foxtel Media as a senior adviser, and will report directly to Foxtel Media CEO Mark Frain. He is tasked with helping to “unlock the power of comprehensive ratings data” from over a million Foxtel set top boxes, a task the company has partnered with Kantar Media to achieve.
Foxtel announced the new measurement system at their Upfront last year, where the network claimed to be launching Australia’s largest-ever television ratings system, incorporating “data validation, processing, demographic mapping, capping [in other words, adjusting long viewing sessions into realistic viewing levels] and quality control” in order to provide a more granular understanding of Foxtel consumption.
“We should all be able to confidently measure and trade digital currency in a digital world,” Frain explained at the launch, saying the company would “be negligent if we leave this data idling for another minute”.
Doug Peiffer
The announcement had its fair share of detractors at the time, most notably Mel Hopkins, Sven’s chief marketing and audience officer, who wrote an op-ed for Mumbrella in which she blasted the move as “deeply flawed and misdirected”.
OzTAM also kicked against the idea, releasing a statement saying: “the introduction of a Foxtel-only audience measurement system poses the risk of confusion in the market.”
Peiffer started his career in ratings as a Nielsen people meter installer in the US, then spent almost a decade a Network Ten as general manager of strategy, integration and research, before being appointed CEO of OzTAM, where he spent 12 years.
At Foxtel, Peiffer will also help develop new reach and effectiveness measures across linear and streaming channels, and contribute to projects and initiatives ran in partnership with Video Futures Collective partners.
Mark Frain, CEO Foxtel Media said that Peiffer’s knowledge would be key.
Mark Frain
“In an increasingly competitive landscape, audience measurement has become all the more critical for everyone along the video supply chain, from media companies to agencies and advertisers.
“The evolution of content delivery has also made measurement highly complex and technical. What’s been clear to me from speaking to industry folks from the UK, the US and locally is there are only a handful of people around the world able to really navigate this field.
“Doug is one of the few experts globally with the background and deep technical knowledge to bring Australian measurement into the new age of media, and we are lucky to have him join the team.”
Peiffer said: “The Foxtel Group’s suite of powerful media assets makes them uniquely qualified to pull apart the intricacies of audience measurement and create something truly special.
“Given the Group’s strong history with broadcast, streaming and rich data tapestry, they are well placed to leverage this information. Combined with a demonstrated willingness to work collaboratively with the industry, they are ideally positioned to deliver unparalleled insights to market that will enhance trading and boost results for the entire industry.
“I’m excited to be part of this pivotal moment in Australian media.”
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Wow, I hadn’t realised that Foxtel still has so many set top boxes out there! Seems very high even if they are including the newly launched Hubbl.