Giving Channel 4 insight on how best to plan broadcast and VOD promotional campaigns to maximise return on airtime

Channel 4 isa free-to-air channel available to all of the UK. It is home to a best-in-class streaming service, six channels and a thriving audience on social platforms.  Since Channel 4 was created in 1982, it has been at the centre of national conversations and a catalyst for the creation of a world-beating production sector in the UK.  Channel 4s purpose is to create change through entertainment. They do this by representing unheard voices, challenging with purpose and reinventing entertainment.

Challenge

Channel 4 need to understand where and how to plan portfolio and All4 promotional campaigns to maximise return on airtime.

Solution

Market proliferation has led to an ever-squeezed schedule.  TRP’s reporting provides both a granular (campaign level) and topline (portfolio and network level) view of campaign performance. This allows Channel 4 to understand and quickly adapt to changes in the media environment and viewing behaviours, thus planning and promoting campaigns using the best possible media strategy.

Decisions made based on our reporting include:

– length and weight of campaign required to support a new launch

– number of campaigns or content supported per week

– use of cross promotional strategies

– optimal length of promotional spot.

Since 2003 we have supplied Channel 4 with rigorous data reporting for on-air promotional campaigns. Using our in-house databases, we examine multiple campaigns to create campaign performance metrics.  We supplement Barb programme data with our own metadata identifying Channel 4 portfolio series and episode number. This allows us to identify the unique content promoted by a campaign, rather than simply using the generic title.

Our bespoke in-house broadcast recording system monitors 60+ channels every day of the year. Our metadata team uses these recordings to supply independent promotional campaign logs to Channel 4 for several competitor channels.  Channel 4 uses promo  clips and logs to keep up-to-date on other campaigns and content launches, which allows them to to assess campaign performance in a like-for-like way.

We combine Channel 4’s own promo logs, detailing when and where a campaign aired, with our in-house Barb respondent level databases. This allows us to track individual respondent behaviour and match viewers who watched a promo who also viewed a promoted programme. We measure the success of a campaign via the overlap (or ‘converted’) viewers as a proportion of everyone who saw the campaign.

Over many years of working with Channel 4 we have built up a catalogue of performance criteria and benchmarks with which to measure campaigns. Our service has evolved as we continually look for new ways to assess and measure performance. In recent years this has included assessing campaign uplift, viewers actively influenced by a campaign rather than heavier viewers who may potentially have watched anyway, and the impact of VOD campaigns in directing viewers to non-linear content.