Television Audience Data Sources

Introduction

The Canada Media Fund has developed a method of tracking the performance of all programs funded by the CMF since its inception and captured within the BBM databases. This methodology has been executed through the use of title matching algorithms developed by the CMF in conjunction with MediaStats and the independent consulting firm Figurs. While the information generated from this process is not yet available as a syndicated database to BBM subscribers, it is available in the form of aggregated data outlined in the CMF Annual Report.

Data Source

Data for the 2012-2013 broadcast year, as well as the historical data from 2008-2009 through to 2011-2012 broadcast years, was sourced from BBM data measurement systems.

Metrics

The audience data upon which these charts were based have been derived from the 2012-2013 broadcast year (Weeks 1–52, August 27, 2012 to August 25, 2013), Total Canada, Persons 2+, average minute audiences (000) converted to total hours. The analysis used program-level data in order to calculate viewing levels by country of origin and genre.

Full Day

Full day is the equivalent of Monday to Sunday, from 2a.m. to 1:59a.m.

Peak Viewing Hours

In all aspects of this report, peak viewing was based on viewing to programs with start times falling between 7 p.m. and 10:59 p.m., and end times falling between 7 p.m. and 11 p.m.

Definition of CMF-Funded Programming

Viewing to CMF-funded programming was based on viewing to English-language stations or French-language stations. These results take into account any project, past and present, to which the CMF (and formerly CTF) has contributed financing. It is important to note that BBM does not currently identify individual telecasts by cycle number. It is therefore impossible to delineate which specific airing of a project may or may not have been funded. Due to these limitations in the BBM dataset, CMF-funded projects for the purpose of this analysis included all cycles/years for projects financed by the CMF, even if only select cycles/years of the project were funded.

Data Universe

English

For all charts provided, audience data to English-language television was based on the cumulative audiences of the following broadcasters:

* indicates broadcaster did not submit specific program / episode lineup to BBM despite being present in program-level analyses on BBM Analytics / Nielsen software.

The above broadcasters have provided their weekly program schedules to BBM and BBM has reported these broadcasters’ viewing audiences by program for Total Canada during the 2012-2013 broadcast year. The aggregate viewing across Canada to the above list of stations represented 93.91% of all viewing to English stations reported by BBM.

For charts where audience data was depicted for CMF-funded programs only, audience data for the following broadcasters were also included:

Owing to the fact that not all broadcasters in Canada are reported in BBM’s audience databases at the program level, audiences watching CMF-funded programming via the above 15 English broadcasters were derived by manually inputting appropriate airdates, start times and durations into BBM audience software. This information was provided by each broadcaster for the purposes of calculating the audience success component of their 2014-2015 Performance Envelopes. The information provided was for CMF-funded programming only and therefore did not include viewing to non-CMF funded programming. For this reason, viewing to these broadcasters was excluded from the overall viewing analysis provided.

Combined, the above two lists of English-language broadcasters (reporting on either program-level or time-period only) represented 93.95% of all Total Canada English viewing in 2012-2013, as defined by BBM.

French

For all charts provided, audience data to French-language television was based on the cumulative audiences of the following broadcasters:

The above broadcasters have provided their weekly program schedules to BBM and BBM has reported these broadcasters’ viewing audiences by program for Total Canada during the 2012-2013 broadcast year. The aggregate viewing across Canada to the above stations represented 99.34% of all viewing to French-language stations reported by BBM. For charts where audience data was depicted for CMF-funded programs only, audience data for the following broadcasters were also included:

• APTN-French envelope
• TFO

Combined, the above two lists of French-language broadcasters represented 99.38% of all Total Canada French-language viewing in 2012-2013, as defined by BBM.

APTN is a unique broadcaster in that it airs both English and French as well as Aboriginal language programming throughout the course of its broadcast day. The language of program transmission is not necessarily identifiable in BBM databases.

For the purposes of this report, the CMF has categorized APTN as an English broadcaster. By taking the information provided by APTN for the purposes of calculating the audience success component of its 2014-2015 Performance Envelopes separately for English- and French- language programs, the CMF has manually adjusted the data to account for French-language CMF programs aired on this broadcaster.

What’s Missing?

While the CMF audience analysis is based on a relatively complete viewing universe in the French market (99.4% as above), the viewing universe for the English market is slightly understated (93.6% as above).

The missing components include:

• viewing to Canadian stations/networks not reported at the program level in BBM audience databases. This would include some digital networks;
• viewing to Canadian independent small market stations not captured in BBM metered data systems, and viewing to non-network programming on stations affiliated with a conventional network (i.e. regional pre-emptions, specials, etc.); and
• viewing to some smaller-market U.S. and specialty channels.

Country of Origin and Genres

For CMF-funded programming:

• Country of origin, in all cases, was considered to be Canadian (regardless of whether it was a treaty co-production or not).
• Genres included were Children’s & Youth, Documentary, Drama, or Variety & Performing Arts, depending upon the CMF eligibility requirements the program was funded under.

For all other programming:

Country of origin and genres were based on those provided via BBM audience databases through the CMF Country of Origin and Genre Initiative, funded exclusively by the CMF and administered by Mediastats with participation from the CRTC, BBM, and many broadcasters.

It is important to note that genre codes provided in BBM audience databases adhere to CRTC genre definitions, and do not perfectly align with CMF genre definitions. For the purposes of this report, the following applies:

• • The Children’s & Youth category* is comprised of the following genres as per CRTC classification:
  • 5A Formal Education And Pre-School
  • 7A Ongoing Drama Series
  • 7B Ongoing Comedy Series
  • 7C Specials Minis MOWS
  • 7E Animation
  • 7F Sketch Comedy/Comedy Other
  • 7G Other Drama

*For further clarification, see “Determination of Children’s & Youth Programming.”

• The Documentary category is comprised of the following genres as per CRTC classification:
  • 2A Analysis and Interpretation
  • 2B Long-Form Documentary

• The Drama category* is comprised of the following genres as per CRTC classification:
  • 7A Ongoing Drama Series
  • 7B Ongoing Comedy Series
  • 7C Specials Minis MOWS
  • 7E Animation
  • 7F Sketch Comedy/Comedy Other
  • 7G Other Drama

*For further clarification, see “Determination of Children’s & Youth Programming.”

• The Variety & Performing Arts category is comprised of the following genres as per CRTC classification:
  • 9 Variety
  • 8A Music & Dance

Determination of Children’s & Youth Programming

With the exception of the CRTC genre “5A Formal Education & Pre-School,” there are no obvious genre designations for Children’s & Youth programming. Yet, clearly, many programs are produced and broadcast in this country with the intent of targeting and reaching young audiences. For the purposes of this report, all programming in the following CRTC genres were categorized as either Drama or Children’s & Youth depending on the actual average demographic composition of programs falling in these genres.

• 7A Ongoing Drama Series
• 7B Ongoing Comedy Series
• 7C Specials Minis MOWS
• 7E Animation
• 7F Sketch Comedy/Comedy Other
• 7G Other Drama

If more than 50% of the average audience (i.e., all telecasts averaged together) for any program falling in the above CRTC genres were aged 2–17, the program was categorized as Children’s & Youth. If more than 50% of the average audience for a program were aged 18+, it was categorized as Drama.

All other CRTC genres were considered to be “Other.”