Ariel Hajmi: “The TV is still the emotional center of the home”

Ariel Hajmi, CEO of Kantar Ibope Media, heads the only company able to measure how, when and where Argentines consume content with surgical precision. Feared and celebrated at the same time, their reports can determine the fate of a show, the value of a commercial second, or a host’s career. In an ecosystem that seems to move between anxiety about streaming, the proliferation of screens, and the narrative that “TV is already dead,” Al-Hajami emphasizes something else: Convergence has arrived, yes, but myths do not resist data. “TV is still the best possible screen,” he says. The new cross-measurement, which unifies linear TV consumption and digital consumption, seems to agree with this view. Before we get into the numbers, the report by Kantar Ibope Media offers a powerful concept: “Content is fluid and flows from one screen to another.”

-The first question relates to that. How does this fluidity translate into the specific audiovisual consumption habits of Argentina?

—It seems to me that it shows well the attitude that today’s content producers must have for something to really work. No one discusses multi-monitoring anymore. Before everything gets disconnected: “This is linear TV”, “This is digital only”. Today, if content wants to reach and stay, it must be able to adapt to different packaging. You won’t consume a video the same way on a 60-inch cell phone as you will on a 60-inch TV. The same thing happens with advertising: digital versions are significantly reduced and adapted to the format. That’s why I say “encapsulation”: because they’re all media, yes, but they’re not equal. In addition, 91% of Argentines have access to at least two devices – a cell phone and a television – and about 80% have access to three devices. A third reaches four. The average Argentinean is overly connected and uses everything. It’s not that people who use one device give up the others. What changes is time, habit. There is no doubt that intergenerational extremism exists, but even older people use WhatsApp, use mobile phones, and browse the Internet. Fluid content is just that: a real, continuous adaptation according to device, age, time of day and, above all, time available.

– There is a phrase in the report that is surprising because it contradicts a certain broadcast saga: “TV is still the entertainment center of the home.” How do you explain the validity of television compared to platforms?

– It’s a very good question, and it has many layers. There’s a social part: We conducted a study that sought to find out where each broker was located in the home. TV appeared as “The Couple”. The newspaper was the “teacher” and the radio was the “friend.” The TV was in the bedroom, in the living room, accompanying him. Many people in big cities live alone and turn on the TV to feel accompanied. This didn’t go away. Then there is the hard data. This year we launched cross-media measurement that allows us to see how much each household consumes on TV and how much they consume on digital devices. The result was overwhelming: the relationship is 70% linear TV and 30% digital. No one disputes that digitalization is growing, but it is not 70/30 on the contrary, as is said in some forums. Moreover, the concept of prime time is changing. Before that depends on the schedule. Today it depends on the moment you can see the content: the peak time of your life. But even then, when people have a choice, they prioritize the best possible screen: the TV. For quality, for comfort, for habit.

—Does the data confirm that these myths are no longer useful for understanding the ecosystem?

-Completely. When we look at streaming consumption – Netflix, Disney, Amazon, HBO – the key demographic is between 30 and 49 years old. Adults, not teens. And when we watch linear TV, young people also consume. Less time, yes, but they consume. The pandemic is a compelling case: it sparked this growth by 30%, and the demographic group that drove this growth the most was young people, who needed reliable information in a context of noise and uncertainty. And not only that: they know when to go looking for confirmed news. They don’t eat glass. On the other hand, when we look at the combined audience between platforms and linear TV, more than 50% of it is a mixed audience. As for those who exclusively consume digital products, they are only 4%. Less than you think. It is more common to find people who watch only linear TV than people who watch digital TV exclusively. This speaks to the structural strength of the television system.

— Are we facing real convergence or is there still fragmentation between the two ecosystems?

-For me, there is a real rapprochement. That’s why we recommend the entire industry – advertisers, agencies, programmers and producers – consider an omnichannel strategy. Content must be able to stream from TV to cell phone, from on-demand to linear, and vice versa. The shared audience data is very clear. And when you look at the exceptions, digital exclusivity is very low. For me, the real transformation lies in how all of this is distributed and measured. Uniform measurement allows everyone to be held to the same standard, something brands have been demanding for years: “one metric for one ad market,” that’s the way.

—How exactly is cross-consumption between devices and platforms measured?

— In the digital world there is an ocean of information, but not all of it is comparable or compatible with the TV analogy tradition. The market demands a standardized measure that is methodologically consistent and traceable. We solve it by measuring the same people across their ecosystem. The TV panel is still there: the meter, once a bulky device, is today a sophisticated little box connected to all the TVs in the house. For digital, we install a Focal Meter or Streaming Meter, a device connected to the router that records the use of all platforms from any device in the house. This way we can see how content is consumed on TV, mobile phone, tablet or PC, and unify everything in one database. This helps channels, platforms and also brands who need to know whether their ads have been viewed in linear, on-demand or both.

—Do you see saturation or diversity in the Argentine audiovisual ecosystem?

-I don’t see saturation. If signals and platforms spread it is because there is a market. If something doesn’t work, it disappears: the industry regulates itself. What I think is that analogy will help structure the conversation. Often digital numbers are compared to TV numbers without a common standard. In live broadcasting, what is considered a “milestone” is the number the over-the-air channel has each day. With a common scale, everything is measured on the same scale. There are linear TV shows that show that it is still very strong, even in the current ecosystem.