For those of us in Research, it is both the best of times
and the most challenging of times; The best of times in that we have access to
more unique data sets that can be used to gain greater insight into the
consumer experience. The most challenging of times in that the discipline of
media research is being bifurcated into Research, Analytics and Data
departments, some reporting into the same departments, some operating parallel.
So it was with great interest that I spoke to Artie Bulgrin,
SVP Global Research and Analytics for ESPN, who has been an advocate of cross
platform measurement data and research solutions. ESPN was the driver behind Project
Blueprint, a collaboration with comScore to build the industry’s first cross
platform measurement solution. ESPN, through Bulgrin’s efforts, remains in the
forefront of research solutions to the changing media environment.
Charlene Weisler: How has the marketplace’s interest in data impacted
Research’s role in your company?
Artie Bulgrin: First party data in combination with other
proprietary and third-party research has become an important part of the paradigm
shift in our business – meaning that we know more about the ESPN fan than
anyone else. So our clients have become much more reliant on us for trusted
insights and guidance as to how to connect with our fans as consumers and
better understand emerging behavior that is currently unmeasured or not
measured well in the syndicated space. This is a trust we take seriously. So for us research and data have been moving on
a parallel plane at ESPN. I am responsible for ESPN’s audience research and our
digital analytics, so we have been linking census data with traditional
measures for a while. We have long advocated time-based measures, such as
average minute audience, as a common denominator to link media usage across
platforms. Our ESPN XP initiative was created in 2010 to move cross-platform
measurement from custom project to standard practice because there was nothing
out there to measure total reach or duplication across platforms. The ultimate result
of that initiative was Project Blueprint with comScore. Blueprint is a perfect
example of big data and panel-based audience measurement merging. If nothing
else, Blueprint proved that the hybrid approach works and it is the future.
Charlene Weisler: How do you use Nielsen beyond linear measurement?
Artie Bulgrin: Right now, not a lot. Mainly because we use
Nielsen mostly as a TV currency and our content is mostly seen live. We do have lots of non-linear digital content
and will continue to seek out the best cross-platform solutions - so Nielsen
could be a part of that in the future. Meanwhile filling audience gaps in our
linear content remains a priority. Nielsen’s
Total Audience Measurement approach is a good plan and we are hoping it can
fill those gaps, but enabling total audience measurement and achieving it are
two different things. I’ve said before that audience measurement in the
digital/data world is now a team sport – meaning it requires cooperation and
collaboration from the media, distributors and platforms. One of those
measurement gaps involves TV Everywhere and
our Watch ESPN service. Based on our analytics, usage has grown over 60% in the
past year across all platforms and over 100% on OTT platforms. OTT viewing of
Watch ESPN has matched or exceeded typical TV viewing levels in terms of
minutes per device and it is not a personal platform and so we need Nielsen to
capture the co-viewing audience in front of the set.
Charlene Weisler: Where you surprised by this?
Artie Bulgrin: Initially yes. We thought that viewing of
Watch ESPN would be driven mainly by displaced audiences in terms of reach and
minutes. But now we see that more than half of the minutes consumed are coming
from primary or secondary residences through the use of devices like a Roku,
Apple TV or XBox 360. These have become the new set top boxes filling more
rooms in American homes and creating new opportunities to watch ESPN.
Charlene Weisler: Is ESPN involved in any programmatic TV efforts?
Artie Bulgrin: Yes. We have some programmatic activity going
on right now. But ESPN is still focused on our distinctive point of difference of
offering live, premium content and a well-lighted (high viewability)
environment.
Charlene Weisler: Knowing what you know about cross platform viewing
behavior, where do you see the viewing trends going three years from now?
Artie Bulgrin: With television content overall we are seeing
fragmentation of viewing driven by more non-linear consumption of TV content. Live
TV is still the king of all media activity at over 4 hours per day for the
average person. But in Q2, according to Nielsen, we saw live TV viewing decline
about 3% or by 8 minutes in the average day. This trend will persist as options
grow and as behavior among young people evolves. About half of this change is
happening right at home on the TV with the proliferation of OTT connected
devices and more SVOD options. In short, Americans are expanding their choices
because we love TV! The other half of
the behavioral change in TV content consumption is coming from mobile apps. Essentially there is no such thing as “least
objectionable” content anymore. Most Americans can watch what they want, when
they want. At ESPN, we live in a more rarefied environment where 95% of our
content is consumed live and TV is typically the best available screen. As a
result, we are seeing sports becoming a priority in the hierarchy of choice for
live TV viewing. That principle applies to other video platforms as sports fans
use the next “best available screen” to follow their favorite events live.
Charlene Weisler: Do you think we will get to an industry standard
cross platform measurement solution?
Artie Bulgrin: We are getting closer. We have more companies
than ever pursuing cross-platform measurement including comScore, Nielsen,
Symphony Advance Media and Reality Mine, to mention a few. I am hoping this
competition will lead to innovation and speed to market. But there are
different definitions of cross-platform measurement out there and I’m not sure
which will be supported by the industry. In his book “Media Planning” Erwin
Ephron said “… our media planning priority is media mix. For that we need good
cross-platform duplication data.” That’s in line with my view of cross-platform
measurement and where the big knowledge gap is - to answer the basic measurement questions of
how many, how often and how long… meaning reach, frequency and time which can produce valuable
measures of behavior and ad impressions. Once we know how reach and exposure happens,
then we can measure advertising impact more effectively. The search for a
perfect solution will never stop in my opinion. We have to stay at it as an
industry to keep pace with technology and the consumer.
Charlene Weisler: What is your opinion of the comScore acquisition of
Rentrak?
Artie Bulgrin: We have been partners with comScore since
2012 when they transformed from pure digital measurement to cross platform measurement.
With Project Blueprint they are currently the lone national cross
platform source out there for planning and content measurement. The merger with
Rentrak will certainly strengthen comScore’s TV measurement capability and
create some competition for Nielsen. Competition is always good for the
industry – it breeds innovation.
Charlene Weisler: What is your philosophy on data and its impact on
your job?
Artie Bulgrin: Big data is now transforming our business on
an analytics level and helping to improve audience measurement with its
granularity and real-time benefits. But data alone can create the illusion of
precision which we have to be careful of. Lots of data does not mean it is
meaningful or representative. It could be biased and unrepresentative. The
other caution is that data can lead to compromises. For example, analytics may
mean more precision in device usage, but less precision or even no data on
people. So as I said before, data and measurement must run on parallel tracks -
that’s where the solutions will be in media measurement. If used properly with
the right standards in place, ultimately data plus measurement will lead to
solutions that can measure media exposure and connect that exposure to impact
at the consumer level. That’s the Holy Grail!
Charlene Weisler: What do you see as the future of research?
Artie Bulgrin: It’s exciting and so different from when I
started 34 years ago. Based on how busy we are and how quickly things are changing,
I see a greater reliance on Research for strategic insights with much more
reliance on technology and science. Researchers today need to be perpetual
students focused on the latest innovations and studying the future in a present
tense. This was the main reason we created the ESPN Lab in Austin – to bring
advanced science and methods to the study of media and advertising; an approach
that gives us deeper insights on how people are interacting with media and
advertising right now. The future is around us. We need to find it, study it
and be prepared for what will happen next.
This article first appeared in www.MediaBizBloggers.com
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