The Australian market finally has a launch date for VOZ trading, with OzTam confirming that the new currency will officially come into effect from Sunday 29 December 2024.

It makes a clean break for 2025, with OzTam chief Karen Halligan telling Mi3 that the industry partners agreed that the new year period marked the ideal window to launch a new currency, and would give agencies and advertisers ample time to prepare for the new era of measurement.

“All of the systems are pretty much ready to go now, but working with the partner agencies, they all suggested that [the end of December] was a really clean opportunity to do it,” she said.

The change will enable trading on truly national, all-screen Total TV audiences for the first time. The decision follows extensive consultation and collaboration across TV networks, Regional TAM, the Media Federation of Australia (MFA), Independent Media Agencies of Australia (IMAA), the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA), Nielsen, and third-party software suppliers.

“This significant milestone would not have been possible without extensive industry collaboration and the common desire for positive change from the networks, Regional TAM, the MFA, IMAA, AANA, Nielsen, our TPSS partners and other key suppliers. We would like to sincerely thank everyone for their efforts to realise VOZ as trading currency,” said Halligan.

TV network annual rate negotiations for 2025 will be based on VOZ Total TV data for the first time. VOZ introduces several industry firsts, including a national picture of viewing, a currency for BVOD viewing, de-duplicated audience estimates across all broadcast TV and BVOD viewing, and de-duplicated trading on all viewing to all broadcaster content across all screens.

First debuted by OzTam in 2018, the development of the VOZ trading currency has not been without its set backs, with multiple delays over the years having been cause for frustration and confusion amongst media agencies. But with all systems now ready to go, all stakeholders are on board for the December launch date.

“VOZ represents a quantum shift in total TV audience data capability and is a remarkable achievement. Overcoming the complexity and technical challenges to bring this to market has been no small feat, made possible through the substantial investment by broadcasters, third party software suppliers, and MFA members collaborating on an industry solution for all clients. Industry education and training is the next crucial step to ensure a successful rollout and we will continue to partner with OzTAM until this goal is met,” said MFA CEO, Sophie Madden.

“On behalf of the IMAA and our members, we welcome the launch of VOZ as currency in the market and the advancements that VOZ will provide, including the growth in BVOD viewing. We would like to congratulate OzTAM on its collaborative industry approach in bringing VOZ to fruition,” said IMAA chief Sam Buchanan.

“In a tough economic climate, it is no surprise advertisers are looking for more accurate audience measurement to ensure their marketing investment is delivering results. Congratulations to OzTAM on their herculean effort in bringing the industry together to achieve a step change in audience measurement for TV through VOZ,” said AANA CEO, Josh Faulks.

VOZ is produced and delivered by Nielsen, an independent third-party measurement provider, and measures all free-to-air and subscription TV networks. VOZ was first made available to the market in May 2023, and from January 2024, OzTAM moved to the delivery of Total TV reports as the public source of audiences consuming broadcast (linear) TV and BVOD content across all platforms and devices.

“It’s great to see intensive development work and new measurement infrastructure culminating in a world-first, total TV audience measurement system, with data delivered daily. A long-term vision and collaborative approach have resulted in a market solution that’s not only tailored to nation-wide multi-screen measurement at scale but is future-proof and ready to meet the challenges and many opportunities ahead,” said Nielsen CEO, Alicia Olson-Keating.

Third-party software suppliers have built the analytical software to process VOZ data to achieve VOZ Gold Standard accreditations. OzTAM will conduct an extensive industry education and training program to ensure a smooth transition to VOZ as trading currency.

“VOZ marks a significant milestone in Regional TAM’s measurement journey and we are pleased to be partnering with OzTAM in the delivery of a truly national, world class product. With more than eight million people residing in regional Australia, it was critical that we were engaged in the development and delivery of VOZ. Regional TAM looks forward to trading on VOZ as the official currency in 2025,” said Regional TAM Chairperson, Donna Lennox.