Hyphametrics is an audience measurement start-up that does not take the buzzwords ‘cross-platform’ and ‘holistic’ lightly. While still in its infancy, Hyphametrics could assemble a highly accurate dataset that will be hard to match in terms of transparency, if all goes to plan.
This prediction is based on how Hyphametrics performs hyper-surveillance on every aspect of digital entertainment in the home by scrupulously tracking everything from the feed displayed on the TV, to the IP traffic on the router, and even the locations of people in the house. It sounds spooky, but this Big Brother-esque measurement is reserved for a select set of opt-in panel audiences.
Talking to Faultline this week, Hyphametrics CEO, Joanna Drews, and CTO, Gerardo Lopez, talked us through the ins and outs of its proprietary system. At the hub of the house is the coreMeter box, which hosts multiple HDMI inputs for outgoing feeds from all TVs, gaming consoles, and set tops. Frame by frame analysis is conducted on those feeds, with different techniques applied depending on the source of the media.
A set top feed will be examined for broadcaster logos, as well as the channel information overlays that appear when a channel is changed, whereas a games console feed will be analyzed for browsing of the console interface to identify which game is selected, as well as developer logos at the start of gameplay.
Similarly, user choices on OTT platforms are tracked by following the user path towards content. Both Drews and Lopez feel this makes Hyphametrics the only measurement vendor that truly knows what people are watching. “We know that it is Season 3, Episode 6 of Seinfeld, not just a random sitcom,” Lopez told us.
Keen to poke some holes, we asked whether Hyphametrics would be able to detect a pirated streaming website that is being displayed on the TV by either casting or HDMI? Lopez told us that while coreMeter would not be able detect this through its HDMI inputs, the wider system would be able to do so through IP traffic tracking.
The coreMeter is multi-tasking several capabilities simultaneously. As well as being an interface for HDMI feeds, the box acts as a router for network traffic measurement, and a quasi-connected TV from which OTT applications can be run (and measured.)
“We are replicating the CTV experience from our box. Any app they can have in their smart TV they can download here,” Drews explained.
‘Source of truth’ is another buzzterm that often makes us switch off when hearing from measurement vendors, but Drews was keen to prove that Hyphametrics was not just spouting marketing fluff.
“We are never making a guess or an inference. While many competitors are reliant on libraries and schedule data, so there is always an inference made in the methodology, we are officially measuring who is in the room,” Drews assured us.
Take measurement rival Samba TV, which Drews felt was a fitting example. “Samba TV works through TV manufacturers, which allows for scale, but it blocks measurement on all the top apps, and cannot tell you how many people are watching,” she explained. “It makes ID matches with partners like Xperi, but those are loaded with inferences. It is not enough to provide granularity.”
Hyphametrics can also tell who in the house is watching the TV at any moment by tracking the presence of users’ mobile phones via Bluetooth and WiFi, which panelists agree to have turned on at all times. “We are officially measuring who is in the room and what they are exposed to,” Lopez assured us.
Naturally, any company claiming such a competitive edge should be appropriately protected. Hyphametrics has just been issued its first patent, which Drews said covers 15 unique elements of its methodology, including the tracking of IP traffic, the use of certain ML algorithms, as well as the proprietary hardware, software and cloud technologies that are used.
Hyphametrics is in the process of recruiting its first preliminary panel of 100 households. “We know the market expectation in terms of neutrality, and we do not augment households. There will be some with every SVoD app, and other with just an antenna,” explained Drews, meaning that a panel household is left as is, with no extra SVoD subscriptions, games consoles or set tops added.
Drews expects the panel to be reflective of the US within the first few hundred households, and once the panel hits 5,000 households, clients will be able to integrate its findings with census data to produce ratings.
So, who are these clients? Drews was unable to name any of the data platforms and media companies that were showing interest, but did say that its main focus is streaming platforms. “Networks are pumping ad dollars into those spaces, so those platforms need to better understand the user and their competitors,” she explained. “What is a Pluto TV user doing when not on the platform?”
Interestingly, Drews did say that the likes of Nielsen and Comscore would find value in Hyphametrics’ offering, suggesting it is not rival but rather a complementary service.
Being early days, Hyphametrics is not breaking out data on certain trends – like Nielsen and Comscore have done with D2C movies – but this is coming. “We have already entered into market conversations with interest in specific subsets. We have a proprietary system built from scratch, so it is a small lift,” Drews told us.
Early interest is in IP traffic measurement, specifically seeing how effective ad placement matches internet browsing, as well as the more general interplay between all entertainment devices in the home.