OzTAM announced a partnership with Fetch TV to include its return path data in the industry's total TV currency.
Fetch TV will contribute anonymous, aggregated data sent back through the return path from about 700,000 Fetch set-top box households.
Return path data captures large-scale, second-by-second viewing activity, providing a deeper and more precise picture of what content is being played, when and for how long across broadcast and digital platforms.
"We are delighted to welcome Fetch TV as our latest big data partner as we look to further enhance Australia's audience measurement capability," said Karen Halligan, CEO of OzTAM.
"The inclusion of Fetch TV further strengthens our proof-of-concept and moves us closer to understanding the impact of incorporating big data sources into VOZ Total TV currency."
Dominic Arena, CEO of Fetch TV, said the collaboration allows Fetch to contribute to initiatives that enhance the accuracy and consistency of screen measurement across Australia.
"By aligning with OzTAM's efforts, we are doing our part to provide the Australian media industry with a more accurate and comprehensive view of how people are watching TV, reinforcing our position as a valuable partner in the evolving media landscape,” said Arena.
The proof-of-concept, announced in April 2025, is well underway, leveraging data from OzTAM's existing data partners Samba TV and Nexxen, as well as OzTAM's internal datasets.
Phase one is focused on scoping the opportunities and benefits of bringing together big data with OzTAM's data, while phase two will engage industry leaders to design a roadmap to combine these new data sources with OzTAM's established panel data.
Samba TV and Nexxen both provide automatic content recognition data, sourced from more than 2.2 million connected TV sets in Australia.
Combined with OzTAM and Regional TAM's panel of 8,300 homes, including more than 5,000 streaming TV meters, and the 16 million connected devices measured through OzTAM's video player measurement service monthly, big data has the potential to significantly transform total video measurement in Australia.
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