What is the video standard?

The so-called market standard TV is currently preset for TV analyses in the AGF evaluation systems. This means that data on the usage of TV sets is output by default for all analyses. The market standard Video is available in AGF SCOPE since 01/01/2023. However, it must be actively selected. This usage data does not only refer to TV, but also includes streaming, depending on the evaluation types. From 01/01/2024, the market standard video will become the leading reporting level for TV (default).

Since when has the video market standard existed?

The AGF has been measuring streaming since 2014 and has been reporting convergent reach data for the services it measures since 2017. Since then, there has also been a market standard for video. A revised market standard for video is available since 01/01/2023. Data before 01/01/2023 is no longer available in AGF SCOPE.

Why is the default of the market standard being changed?

Media usage has changed fundamentally in the last decade. For the various market parties (broadcasters, marketers, media agencies, advertisers), convergent data is becoming increasingly important because it provides information on how intensively content and advertising are used across all end devices and platforms. The changeover takes this into account. Because it is central for the market to have a common basis to compare TV and streaming reach and to map the changed offer and competition structure. The provision of the market standard Video sets the course for this.

Will there still be individual data for TV, desktop and mobile in the future?

Yes, the use of the individual playout channels will also be able to be determined individually in the future. Usage on OTT devices (smart TVs, streaming sticks, etc.) is currently already taken into account as desktop usage. In future, with the rollout of further measurement routers in the AGF panel, this usage will be shown separately.

When will the changeover to the market standard Video take place? What is the timetable?

From 01/01/2024, the market standard video will be the leading reporting level for TV.

On 01/01/2023, the parallel phase of the previous evaluation software VIDEOSCOPE 1.4. and the new evaluation software AGF SCOPE has started.

On 30/06/2023, VIDEOSCOPE 1.4 will be switched off and AGF SCOPE will become the sole evaluation software.

Can market standard TV still be evaluated as an option?

Yes, the market standard TV can also be evaluated in AGF SCOPE. The market standard TV will also be available beyond 2023. The exact timing of availability is still being agreed within the AGF committees.

Why is the universe being expanded?

Currently, the AGF universe is the "resident population in the Federal Republic of Germany in private households with at least one television set in use and a German-speaking main income earner". In view of the changed media usage behaviour, it is important to also take into account households that no longer own a classic TV set if one wants to make overall statements about the use of moving images in Germany. Therefore, the basic population is expanded to include non-TV households in which online content can be received with at least one device, for example via smartphone, tablet, PC or laptop. With the 5,400 panel households with around 11,000 panellists, the AGF represents a universe of 38.777 million TV households. In addition, there are almost 2 million non-TV households in the market standard Video. In total, the video potential is therefore around 40.467 million households and 78.908 million people over the age of 3.

To what extent is the AGF panel affected by the changes?

The AGF panel is at the centre of the AGF's research activities. It includes about 5,400 households with about 11,000 panellists. As a smaller, structurally identical representation of the basic population, it has to keep up with the expansion to the video universe. Accordingly, the TV panel, which the partner GfK operates on behalf of the AGF, became the AGF panel, which also includes non-TV households that do not own a TV but can stream via online devices such as smartphones and tablets.

How many households and people belong to the AGF panels?

The AGF panel comprises 5,400 households with around 11,000 panellists. It is thus one of the largest daily reporting panels worldwide. In addition to the AGF panel, the AGF also operates a desktop panel with 15,000 panellists and a mobile panel with 6,400 participants together with Nielsen. Their usage is merged into the AGF panel as a core panel. In total, more than 30,000 panellists report daily from three panels.

How is streaming usage measured?

The AGF uses a hybrid measurement approach of census and panel measurement. In addition to the AGF panel with GfK, the AGF also operates a desktop panel with Nielsen with 15,000 panellists and a mobile panel with 6,400 participants. Providers who participate in the measurement must do so actively. For the census measurement, this is done via so-called tagging, in which the measurement participants implement the measurement code in their streaming offers. The measurement can take place without consent and thus maps all streaming uses of the offer. In panel measurement, software is installed on the end devices of the panellists which assigns the usage processes measured in the census to the respective panellists. The panel measurement provides personal information and net data that cannot be determined with a pure census measurement. The usage from the online panels is merged into the AGF panel and calibrated to the census and net specifications. The weighted AGF panel, consisting of people in TV and non-TV households with their TV and streaming usage as a convergent dataset, provides the basis for the market standard Video.

Why does the AGF additionally measure streaming in the AGF panel with measurement routers?

In addition, AGF has also been measuring streaming usage in the AGF core panel with GfK since 2020 using measurement routers. This not only creates single-source links for the transfer of the streaming measurement measured by Nielsen to the AGF panel. At a highly aggregated level, it is also possible to passively measure the usage of streaming platforms such as Netflix, Prime Video and Disney+ (currently exclusively on Smart TV devices).

How many households in the AGF panel already have a measurement router?

Currently, there are around 2,850 of 5,400 households (as of February 2023) that report daily. By 31 December 2024, at least 3,600 households are to be under digital metering.

What can be evaluated with the different standards?

With the market standard TV (only TV households), only TV evaluations are possible, in which the classic, linear TV usage on the big screen is included.

In the market standard Video (TV and non-TV households), the following evaluations can be carried out:

•     TV evaluations (TV incl. 24/7 live stream with the same content)
•     Streaming evaluations (e.g. streaming intervals, offer units)
•     Convergence evaluations (e.g. convergence intervals, programme brands)

The market standard Video thus offers many new evaluation possibilities, but also has an impact on TV performance values due to the expansion of the universe and the addition of the 24/7 livestream.

How do the performance values for TV evaluations change due to the conversion of the market standard to Video?

In TV evaluations, the addition of the 24/7 livestream slightly increases absolute values such as viewing participation, viewers, net coverage and contacts total in millions.

The market shares of the broadcasters can shift slightly among themselves, since not every broadcaster benefits equally from the addition of the 24/7 livestream. Different offer situations also play a role, depending on whether a 24/7 livestream is placed very prominently on an offer page or behind a paywall. In addition, the 24/7 livestream must be measured by the AGF. The prerequisite for this is participation in the AGF streaming project.

When it comes to relative values with reference to the target group potential (e.g. viewing participation in per cent, net coverage in per cent), there are currently falling values in the video standard compared to the market standard TV, as the addition of the 24/7 livestream does not completely compensate for the higher universe.

These general assumptions do not apply equally to all target groups. While the digital, mobile target group of 20-39 year olds makes the biggest jump when non-TV households are added to the universe, it is 14-19 year olds who experience the biggest relative increase in usage due to the 24/7 livestream.

In terms of content, we see that especially programmes with a live character such as sports and news benefit from the allocation of the 24/7 livestream.

Will the tools Plan Control and TV Control continue to exist?

The planning systems will be continued for the time being, the market standard Video will be integrated into the systems.

Will there be training and when will it take place?

There will be accompanying training courses. For more information on the offers and dates, please contact .