The Frequency System research initiative, backed by VFC and Omnicom's Amplified Intelligence, is conducting the most extensive attention study ever run in the Australian market. Phase one focuses on streaming ad frequency and its relationship to actual viewer attention.
Most frequency caps are set by convention, not evidence. This study is attempting to replace the convention with measurement.
VFC (formerly the Video Futures Collective) and Omnicom's Amplified Intelligence have launched The Frequency System, a research initiative they describe as the most extensive attention study ever conducted in the Australian market. The first phase focuses specifically on streaming ad frequency.
The research question is one every media buyer asks but rarely has data to answer: how many times does a viewer need to see an ad on a streaming platform before attention drops off, and where is the point where repetition shifts from reinforcement to irritation?
Amplified Intelligence, founded by Professor Karen Nelson-Field, has built its methodology around measuring active attention (eyes on screen) rather than relying on viewability proxies. The study will track attention across streaming environments to map the relationship between frequency, attention and advertising effectiveness.
Findings are expected later in 2026. The study spans multiple streaming platforms and measures at a scale that previous Australian attention research has not attempted.
Estimated Australian BVOD and streaming ad spend in 2026, much of it planned using frequency assumptions rather than attention data
The timing aligns with a structural shift in Australian media buying. BVOD and ad-supported streaming inventory is growing rapidly. Nine, Seven, Ten, Foxtel, Paramount and international platforms are all competing for advertising dollars. But the frequency management tools available to buyers have not kept pace with the inventory expansion. Most frequency decisions are still based on rules of thumb inherited from linear television.
Why it matters
Frequency management is one of the highest-leverage optimisation levers in paid media, and it is also one of the least evidence-based. Setting frequency caps too low wastes reach potential. Setting them too high wastes budget and risks negative brand impact.
For Australian advertisers spending on BVOD and streaming, this research could fundamentally change how campaigns are planned. If the data shows that optimal frequency on streaming differs significantly from linear TV (which most practitioners expect it will), current planning models need updating.
The attention measurement methodology also matters. If Amplified Intelligence can demonstrate that active attention decays at specific frequency thresholds, it provides a quantitative framework that media agencies can build into their planning tools.
What to do about it
The shift from frequency guessing to frequency measurement is overdue. The advertisers who adopt evidence-based frequency planning first will extract more value from the same streaming budgets.