The New South African Video Measurement Currency

What launches on 1 January 2027, and what to do about it.

On 1 January 2027, South Africa moves to a new industry currency for video audiences: Total Video Measurement (TVM). TVM test data will be available from end-October 2026, giving the industry time to prepare systems, planning processes and teams ahead of the January launch.

TVM measures linear TV, time-shifted viewing, connected TV on the big screen, and online video on personal devices — reported daily from a single fused panel, with defined universes for each reporting level. Following the ES 2026 findings, BRC has consolidated the roadmap: linear and online launch together on day one — there is no interim TV-only phase, and no back-trending against TAMS.

ONE LAUNCH, NOT TWO — FULL TVM ON DAY ONE.

The ES 2026 results show a South African video landscape that has shifted to online faster and further than we planned for. Rather than launch linear-first in January and bring online in mid-2027, BRC will launch Full TVM — linear and online together — on 1 January 2027. One currency, one launch, one date to plan against.

Three Key Facts

  • 1. One service, two reporting levels.

    Broadcaster Total TV (linear TV + cTV on the TV set) and Total Video (adds platform-level online video on personal devices). Same fused panel. Published together, daily.

  • 2. Platform-level online at launch.

    Online video on personal devices is in the currency from day one, reported at platform level (SABC+, Showmax, YouTube, TikTok, …). Broadcaster programme/episode detail on digital is added in the v2.0 upgrade in mid-2027 — same panel, same defined universes, no change to the currency itself.

  • 3. Fresh, fused panel.

    Approximately 4,200 TV-panel homes with people meters, including router meters in approximately 25–30% of homes for connected-TV capture on the big screen, fused daily with a ~2,000-person online panel. Weighted against a continuously updated Establishment Survey.

How It Is Different From Today

  • 1

    One currency across TV and measured online video, not TV-only. Both Broadcaster Total TV and Total Video sit in the same daily dataset.

  • 2

    Linear and online in one currency from day one — BVOD apps, OTT/SVOD and social video at platform level, alongside linear TV and cTV. No phased switch-on.

  • 3

    A fresh baseline — TVM is not a rebase of TAMS; historic TAMS trend claims are not valid across the change.

  • 4

    An open software market — any BRC-certified vendor can deliver TVM data.

WHAT TO DO — TEST DATA FROM END-OCTOBER 2026

  • Work with the test data.

    From end-October 2026, TVM test data is made available to participating software vendors and the market, so agencies, broadcasters and other users can familiarise themselves with the dataset and prepare systems and planning processes for Q1 2027.

  • Confirm your software vendor.

    BRC software certification for TVM runs in Q4 2026, against V2.3 and the TVM test data. Ask your supplier whether they are participating, their TVM upgrade date, and how they will handle the test-data window.

  • Update your outputs.

    State the reporting level (Broadcaster Total TV or Total Video), the total and the demographic base on every figure.

  • Nominate a TVM lead.

    Appoint someone to receive BRC updates and interface with BRC on classifications.

WHAT BRC DELIVERS — AND WHAT IT DOES NOT

BRC delivers the research and the data: the panel, the meters, the daily currency, the mandatory calculation and reporting rules, and software certification. BRC does not deliver AdIntel, commercial go-to-market for the new data assets, or buy-side/sell-side trading tools. Those sit with the market, not with BRC.

More Information

Link Link Visit the TVM hub Link Link Read the Executive Summary Link Link Read the Public Q & A Link Link Read the TVM Glossary Play Play Watch the short explainer video (~5 min) Download Download Download the TVM Methodology Document Download Download Download the Calculation and Reporting Rules
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