The AGF Smart Meter project

Back in 2017, AGF Videoforschung began equipping TV panel households with measurement router technology developed by GfK. Since 2019, the project has been highly prioritised to expand the panel into the AGF Video Panel. On the one hand, AGF wants to continuously expand the single-source core and connect further data sources. On the other hand, the technology used offers the added value of fully recording in-home video usage across different devices in perspective. With the integration of the routers, AGF is successively closing measurement gaps and obtaining more links to the digital panels for streaming measurement that Nielsen operates for AGF.

Download AGF Smart Meter Report February 2023

 

Aim of the report

The need for valid figures on the use of streaming platforms is high. Via the measurement router technology, the AGF can also record the use of streaming offers that do not actively participate in the AGF measurement. In July 2020, the AGF published measurement data from selected platforms for the first time from the AGF Smart Meter project, namely for use on Smart TV. The data is available on a highly aggregated level, i.e. for the offer as a whole. The use of individual series or programmes is not measured.

 

Report

The monthly report is published on the 10th of the following month. In the report, only data for use on smart TV devices is shown for the platforms. In this way, the AGF shows how the offers of the streaming services are viewed on the big screen. The projection used ensures that the router HHs represent all potentially active smart TV HHs in the AGF panel. However, the calculation of the performance values is based on the entire AGF panel. This usage is compared to the usage for the entire TV content under AGF measurement on the TV set.

 

Key figures

The average viewing time in minutes per day is shown and, since November 2021, also the daily net reach and dwell times.

  • Ø viewing duration (min.) describes the average viewing time of the reporting base or the target group per day.
  • duration (min.) indicates the average viewing time of the users per day. It only includes those who have actually used the service.
  • Net coverage (m./%) (NRW) indicates the number and proportion of people who were reached at least once per day by a moving image content (programme, advertisement, time segment, video)

 

Target groups

The seven target groups E14+, E14-29, E 30-49, E50+, E14-49, M14+, F14+ are reported on.

 

Streaming services in the report

The platforms currently in the report are Netflix, Amazon, YouTube and Disney+. Other platforms will be included if they show an average daily viewing duration on the smart TV of at least one minute.

 

Key assets of the project

1. no survey data, but hard measurement data

Unlike other studies that ask about the usage of Netflix & Co, the AGF research is based on independent measurement. Survey studies - such as the AGF platform study - always serve to provide additional validation and supplementation.

2. measurement of smart TV devices - survey at person level

The router data - analogous to that of linear TV usage in the AGF panel - is collected at household and person level, since panel members log on and off individually. Co-viewing is thus also mapped. With this project, the AGF is building up and expanding the single-source core in its own panel. The resulting important overlapping information is also needed for other convergence projects, such as cross-platform campaign measurement.

This also provides the demographic information that is so important for the market in order to be able to make a reliable statement about the video use of different target groups. Such information is essential for programme makers and advertisers and has not been available on this basis in the market so far.

3. Passive metering provides an overview of streaming providers and guarantees comparable metering data from a single source

AGF Smart Meter works with passive measurement. This means that no intervention by the streaming providers is necessary for this measurement. AGF Smart Meter thus provides a good overview of the relevance and performance of individual offers on the German streaming market.

AGF Smart Meter is thus a complementary measurement project to the already established AGF Streaming Measurement with Nielsen. The latter requires the active cooperation of the streaming providers through the integration of Nielsen's measurement software. Through this measurement, granular data on the use of concrete content, e.g. the title of the content, is obtained, which is used for other important projects, such as the connection to TV, in accordance with the motto 'Follow the Content'.