OzTAM

{{Short description|Australian firm making television ratings}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2019}}

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| industry = Market research

| founded = {{Start date and age|1999}} in Australia

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| website = {{URL|https://oztam.com.au/}}

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OzTAM is an Australian audience measurement research firm that collects and markets television ratings data. It is jointly and equally owned by the Seven Network (Seven West Media), the Nine Network (Nine Entertainment) and Network 10 (Paramount ANZ), and is the official source of television ratings data for all metropolitan television in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth, as well as subscription services (such as Foxtel) on a national basis.

OzTAM was created in 1999 after the Seven and Ten Networks led a call for a re-tendering of the contract to provide audience ratings. Executives from both networks were concerned that the previous ratings service did not accurately reflect viewing levels for their channels.{{Cite episode |title=Ratings Game; The Greens media coverage; Zimbabwe |url=https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/archived/mediareport-1999/ratings-game-the-greens-media-coverage-zimbabwe/3483040 |access-date=2021-12-21 |series=Media Report |network=Radio National |date=2001-02-22}}

Prior to OzTAM, the dominant metropolitan ratings company was Nielsen Media Research. The two companies competed for a short time, before Nielsen pulled out. Nielsen continues to be active in some regional areas.{{Citation needed|date=September 2015}}

There are ten official survey periods, of four weeks each, covering 40 weeks of the year, excluding 2 weeks over Easter and 10 weeks over summer.

In total, OzTAM measures ratings from 3,500 homes, with 950 homes in Sydney, 900 in Melbourne, 650 in Brisbane and 500 each in Adelaide and Perth, with these ratings commonly referred to as 'five city metro ratings'.{{cite web|url=http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/OzTAM%20extends%20Nielsen%20contract.pdf|title=OzTAM extends long-term agreement with Nielsen|date=10 September 2012|work=OzTAM|access-date=3 May 2016|archive-date=9 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130409084521/http://www.oztam.com.au/documents/Other/OzTAM%20extends%20Nielsen%20contract.pdf|url-status=live}} A further 2,000 homes outside these five cities are measured by Regional TAM, and an additional 1,200 homes monitor viewing of subscription television in Australia.{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/made-to-measure-but-can-we-trust-tv-ratings-20110422-1dr9m.html|title=Made to measure but can we trust TV ratings?|first=Conrad|last=Walters|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=23 April 2011|access-date=20 July 2016|archive-date=14 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914174351/http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/made-to-measure-but-can-we-trust-tv-ratings-20110422-1dr9m.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.oztam.com.au/LatestAvailableReports.aspx|title=Latest Available reports|work=OzTAM|access-date=3 May 2016|archive-date=10 May 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160510100810/http://www.oztam.com.au/LatestAvailableReports.aspx|url-status=live}} Nielsen are contracted to provide the audience measurement services to both OzTAM and Regional TAM having previously operated their own measurement service.{{cite web | title = Regional Television Diary | publisher = Nielsen Media Research | url = http://www.nielsenmedia.com.au/MRI_pages.asp?MRIID=21 | year = 2007 | access-date = 2007-07-15 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070414212141/http://www.nielsenmedia.com.au/MRI_pages.asp?MRIID=21 |archive-date = 2007-04-14}}

The Nine Network, traditionally the ratings leader in Australia for many years, carried over its dominance into the OzTam era, winning six consecutive ratings seasons between 2001 and 2006 inclusive.{{cite web|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Nine-wins-year-again/2004/11/30/1101577477557.html|title=Nine wins year again|date=2 December 2004|first=Ross|last=Warneke|publisher=The Age|access-date=5 August 2024|archive-date=25 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171025022128/http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Nine-wins-year-again/2004/11/30/1101577477557.html|url-status=live}} Between 2007 and 2018 inclusive, it dropped to second position behind the Seven Network,{{cite web|url=http://www.adnews.com.au/news/ratings-scorecard-seven-wins-total-nine-claims-demos-ten-talks-up-growth|title=Ratings scorecard: Seven wins total, Nine claims demos, Ten talks up growth|publisher=AdNews|first=Arvind|last=Hickman|date=28 November 2016|access-date=14 April 2017|archive-date=24 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170424180036/http://www.adnews.com.au/news/ratings-scorecard-seven-wins-total-nine-claims-demos-ten-talks-up-growth|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://tvtonight.com.au/2018/12/seven-wins-2018-ratings-year.html|title=Seven wins 2018 ratings year|publisher=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|date=3 December 2018|access-date=3 December 2018|archive-date=16 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170216204857/http://oztam.com.au/documents/2016/OzTAM-20161225-D2MetTTVShrCons.pdf|url-status=live}} before again reclaiming the mantle as the most-watched television network in Australia in 2019.{{cite web|url=https://mumbrella.com.au/nine-says-one-major-2018-promotion-push-491946|title=Nine says ‘We are the one’ in major 2018 promotion push|publisher=Mumbrella|first=Zoe|last=Samios|date=4 January 2018|access-date=15 December 2018|archive-date=15 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215123654/https://mumbrella.com.au/nine-says-one-major-2018-promotion-push-491946|url-status=live}}{{cite news |last1=Cooper |first1=Nathanael |title=Nine emerges from the ratings wilderness to snatch Seven's lead with a steady ship |url=https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/nine-emerges-from-the-ratings-wilderness-to-snatch-seven-s-lead-with-a-steady-ship-20191201-p53fu2.html |access-date=10 October 2020 |work=The Sydney Morning Herald |date=1 December 2019 |language=en |archive-date=1 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191201132420/https://www.smh.com.au/culture/tv-and-radio/nine-emerges-from-the-ratings-wilderness-to-snatch-seven-s-lead-with-a-steady-ship-20191201-p53fu2.html |url-status=live }}

In 2017, the metropolitan homes measured will increase to 5,250, Regional TAM homes will increase to over 3,000 and subscription viewing homes to 2,120. Additionally, OzTAM's renewed its contract with Nielsen as a sub-contractor through until 2020.{{cite web|url=http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/07/oztam-to-increase-homes-with-people-meters.html|title=OzTAM to increase homes with people meters|date=20 July 2016|access-date=20 July 2016|work=TV Tonight|first=David|last=Knox|archive-date=21 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160721111533/http://www.tvtonight.com.au/2016/07/oztam-to-increase-homes-with-people-meters.html|url-status=live}}