TAM Ireland Kicks Off New Era in TV Audience Research

TAM Ireland Kicks Off New Era in TV Audience Research

Thursday 3rd June, 2010

Click here to view more photos from the TAM Ireland launch

Pictured at the launch of the new television audience measurement system at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, are (l-r): TAM Ireland representatives Mark Swift, Viacom Brand Solutions; Gareth Ivory, RTE; Paul Loughrey, RTE; Paul Hutchinson, UTV; Andy Barnes, Channel 4; Geraldine O’Leary, RTE; John Patten, Medialink/Channel 4; Alan Cox, Core Media; Deirdre Stokes, TV3; Richard Kelly, BSkyB; Aidan Dunne, Chairman, TAM Ireland; Grace Berkery, RTE; Trevor Twamley, Setanta Sports; Daragh O’Halloran, TV3 and Dave Moore, TG4

New System to Measure Time Shifted Viewing

TAM Ireland today announced details of the new television audience measurement system, to be introduced in the Republic from September 1st of this year.

In addition to an expanded panel of homes, a key feature of the new system will be its capacity to measure Time Shifted Viewing (TSV) for the first time ever, making Ireland among the earliest countries to measure such trends in viewing behaviour.

Speaking at the launch of the new system at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium, Aidan Dunne, Chairman, TAM Ireland, said, “This is a new era in TV audience research, which will now be funded jointly by all of the broadcasters in Ireland and the major advertising agencies.”

Prior to this, the system was underwritten by broadcasters only, originally RTE who were then joined in the late 1990’s by TV3 and TG4. As well as the major advertising agencies, they have now been joined by Channel 4, UTV, Setanta, Sky, Viacom and Living TV. The actual measurement will be conducted by Nielsen TV Audience Measurement, who were re-appointed following a tendering process which attracted submissions from all of the leading TV research companies in the world.

Key features of the new service are:

• An expanded panel of homes; 800 from September 2010, rising to 1050 from September 2012. That is equivalent to one in every 1500 homes being measured, compared to one in every 4500 in the UK.
• New UNITAM meters in all homes, at a cost in excess of €2 million. These meters can measure viewing to all types of TV sets, minute by minute, and will also measure Time Shifted Viewing. This will allow viewing which may be deferred by a few minutes or even a week to be measured.
• A new reference site, costing over a quarter of a million Euro, to cross check metered viewing against over 200 hundred channels.
• Powerful new software to allow programmers and advertising agencies better understand viewing preferences and behaviour.

As Aidan Dunne explains, “Television audience measurement is unique in that every single minute of viewing by every member of the household (aged four years and over), and their guests, is measured. The data is collected every night and made available to agencies, advertisers and programmers the next day. No other medium subjects itself to such intensive scrutiny or accountability.”