TNS wins new audience measurement contract with RAJAR and BARB in the UK to provide an electronic measurement panel for Radio and TV

In a radical shake up, the two-year contract, formerly held solely by Ipsos MORI, is now to also include RSMB in an analysis and quality control role and, for the establishment of an electronic measurement panel, TNS.

The pioneering London panel is a joint venture with BARB (Broadcasters¡¦ Audience Research Board) and they have commissioned TNS in order to offer key insights into radio audience listening and TV viewing. TNS will recruit, install and operate an electronic measurement panel using the Arbitron Portable People Meter„§ (PPM).

The award follows a testing programme and tender process in which the PPM system was evaluated against systems from IPSOS and GFK Eurisko.

Comments Sally de la Bedoyere, Managing Director, RAJAR: ¡§the establishment of an electronic panel will move us up a level, beyond simply the testing of audiometers, to an exciting and essential period of research and development involving electronic measurement. The RAJAR Board fully supports this step and sees the establishment of the electronic panel as a vital component within RAJAR¡¦s programme of change.'

The electronic measurement panel is to run for two years and will deliver weekly data from 50 national and London radio stations as well as TV stations within the M25 London area.

Richard Marks, Director of Research & Business Development, TNS commented: 'TNS is delighted that, following the rigorous testing programme, PPM has been selected as the technology of choice for the electronic panel. We are now relishing the chance to work as a contractor with RAJAR to introduce the benefits of metered measurement and a panel-based methodology, both of which are new developments for UK radio audience measurement. BARB's decision to join this cross-media initiative means that these really are exciting times for broadcast audience measurement.¡¨