More number theory

First posted about this on the weekly ratings report. But an ancient actuary can never pass up a numbers chat. So I'll expand a little.

As a faux tweet noted, Buzzr chief Ron Garfield says the diginet has grown its viewership 40% since spring. He also says the average viewer household watches over two hours a day. The only source mentioned is "internal numbers." No idea what that means, but these are the first figures I've seen anywhere on Buzzr's actual viewership.

Pure speculation on my part, but the "internal numbers" might include some local market Nielsen and/or ComScore data from stations that carry the diginet on a subchannel. There might also be some locjal ComScore set-top box data for cable and satellite viewership. I don't think that Buzzr buys a full set of Nielsen national ratings. Few diginets buy those numbers, at least in these early stages of the networks.

There's always feedback on how Buzzr makes the phones ring for its direct marketing sponsors. The main takeaway is that Garfield is claiming significant percentage growth, though (no doubt) from a small base.

One thing is certain. The diginet skews very old. It seems like every Medicare supplement insurer pitches their products on Buzzr. Not to mention drug companies hawking old-age meds and lawyers chasing hip replacement and hernia mesh cases.

There's no way to quantify the impact on Buzzr's most direct competitor, GSN. After two strong years GSN has seen a downdraft in their 2017 numbers. This may be cord-cutting, a lack of strong new shows, or maybe even some slight effect from the upstart diginet.

Of course, GSN depends on Buzzr parent Fremantle for much of its programming, most notably Steve Harvey's Family Feud. And Fremantle enjoys the licensing fees from GSN. It's an odd blend of competition and cooperation.

Tweet

Subscribe to receive free email updates: