Netflix joins OzTam: A milestone for streaming measurement in Australia
Illustration by Dave Cole / Getty / Shutterstock / The Current
Netflix has officially partnered with OzTAM — Australia’s broadcast ratings body, often likened to Nielsen in the U.S. — becoming the first global streamer to be independently measured alongside broadcast TV in the country.
Industry leaders hailed the move as a turning point — one that could unlock greater advertiser confidence and more media investment in streaming.
Why it matters
Closing the “black hole”: Until now, Netflix — Australia’s most-watched streaming platform — operated outside of OzTAM’s third-party audience measurement ecosystem. The new integration offers brands long-awaited visibility into where Australians are spending their viewing time.
“[This is] a welcome and long overdue step towards total TV measurement,” Dan Hojnik, general manager and head of strategy at Involved Media, tells The Current.
“For years, Netflix and other STV providers have represented the largest growing black hole in the Australian video landscape. Visibility on the most dominant streaming platform in Australia brings us closer to a complete understanding of total TV behavior.”
“It gives trust and confidence in where people are spending their time and ultimately where brands can meaningfully show up,” he adds.
What’s changing
OzTAM’s Streamscape report will now include Netflix viewing data captured via TV meters that monitor streaming activity across connected devices - including smart TVs, computers, tablets, and smartphones.
According to OzTAM, Streamscape will “allow agencies and marketers to compare viewing across free-to-air (FTA) broadcast TV, BVOD and SVOD platforms in a standardised format, empowering more confident media planning and a clearer understanding of how Australians consume video.”
The current landscape
The rise of ad-supported streaming: According to Telsyte, more than 2.5 million Australians now subscribe to ad-funded tiers — double the figure from a year ago.
“Ad-funded streaming is becoming increasingly appealing as cost-of-living pressures weigh on household budgets,” says Alvin Lee, senior analyst at Telsyte. “Netflix’s partnership with OzTAM reflects the growing pressure for greater transparency in streaming viewership, especially as ad-supported models become more prevalent.”
The move is also a boost for OzTAM, which was dealt a blow last year when Foxtel exited the agency’s datasets, leaving only FTA networks like Seven, Nine, Network 10, ABC and SBS.
Telsyte’s Australian Subscription Entertainment Study 2024 estimates there are 25.3 million SVOD subscriptions in Australia. On average, Australians spend 47 hours a week watching video content, spanning FTA, BVOD, SVOD, FAST channels and platforms like YouTube.
“With viewing habits fragmenting rapidly, more collaboration, data transparency and innovation in measurement methodologies will be critical to help marketers fully understand shifting viewer behavior and optimize media investment accordingly,” Lee says.
Between the lines
The move underscores growing demand from advertisers for unified, standardized measurement across the increasingly fragmented video ecosystem.
“Marketers want clarity,” Hojnik says. “The current environment is fragmented between AVOD, BVOD, SVOD, FAST and everything in between.”
“For brands to invest confidently, media vendors need to prioritize transparency and consistency in measurement. That means closing the gaps across platforms, pushing for standardization and making it easier to compare apples with apples.”
What’s next
All eyes are now on other streamers like Disney+, Prime Video and Stan to see if they’ll follow Netflix’s lead.
The consensus? It’s a transformative moment — and hopefully the beginning of a much-needed transition toward transparent, consistent video measurement.
“It’s a milestone, but not the final destination,” Hojnik says. “For over a decade, streaming has steadily taken a larger share of total TV viewing, yet we’ve been working off an incomplete set of numbers. OzTAM’s inclusion of Netflix gives us a more holistic view.”
“The more complete the picture, the better the industry can plan, measure and justify investment.”