ITV unites programme data
Single view of costs helps broadcaster assess performance
ITV has reduced the time it takes to assess the profitability of its drama programmes from two months to just minutes using business intelligence (BI) tools.
The UK’s largest commercial broadcaster plans to extend use of the technology to gather data on programmes from concept to production, and for improved show scheduling.
ITV was previously unable to share sales data and transmission costs because it was a co-operative of regional broadcasters with their own budgets and systems, says ITV’s broadcast strategy director Steve Bottomley.
‘But when Granada and Carlton merged in 2004 to form ITV plc, we wanted to know where money was being spent and the return on investment (ROI) of our shows,’ he said.
Information was held in a variety of legacy systems and no one within the merged company could see all data on programme profitability.
Bottomley first tackled the drama genre, where more than £220m was spent last year, but it took several months to determine the ROI. ‘We had to match the data we collected in spreadsheets, but needed tools to consolidate and view data in one place,’ he said.
Systems integrator IMGroup installed a data warehouse and the ProClarity Analytics tool to provide data on cost, audience figures and programme revenue to assess overall performance.
‘We have more than a terabyte of data to sort through, but are starting to produce consistent, high-quality data,’ said Bottomley.
The technology will now be used to manage data from the development of a programme through to production. It will determine costs, and analyse viewing figures and demographic data to maximise scheduling and advertising revenue.
A phased introduction of BI is likely to produce better results rather than doing it all at once, says Forrester Research senior analyst Duncan Jones.
‘Pulling together information from too many sources makes it challenging to analyse data properly,’ he said. ‘By rolling it out to one business area at a time, ITV can ensure it succeeds in generating a consistent view of data before rolling it out further.’
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