MxMIndia

Tag: TAM

  • Media research professional Amit Nevrekar suggests an alternative until BARC's new system is ready

    Point of View: Time for TRM to measure television?

    By Amit Nevrekar

     

    It was seen that when TAM was suspended for a few weeks last year, Agencies and Broadcasters relied on social media, Facebook, Twitter for content likeness, especially for new launches.

     

    Tapping this phenomenon, can we have similar measurement which is not restricted to Facebook, Twitter but open to all masses pan-India at a minimal research cost. I’m talking about mobile phone medium which has the highest penetration of 900 million+ connections.

     

    It could simply work with unique 5-7 digit telecodes randomly generated everyday and displayed on channels’ programmes.

     

    The audiences would just need to give one ring/ missed call to assign their likes. It could also have the capability to accept comments via SMS and post on Facebook.

     

    The motivation to give missed calls can be done through channel promotions, contests etc. USSD questionnaire could be sent to these audiences to collect basic demographic information.

     

    The benefit of this method is that you could even understand content likeliness at individual market level like Kolhapur, Nashik, Nagpur etc. The main differentiation is that it’s actual audience response, NOT a sample survey and is independent of mode of access and place of viewing. IPL could easily get more missed calls than gross eyeballs over the 45 days period. It could be termed as ‘Television Response Measurement’ or  TRM.

     

    It would be better to have such study rather than each broadcaster and agency conducting their own research through different research agencies, till BARC rating system is rolled out.

     

    Amit Nevrekar is COO, AdoRoi Inc and co-author, The Advertising Mess

     

  • As India TV and Bloomberg TV India unsubscribed from TAM ratings service, public broadcaster Prasar Bharati said it will not discontinue its subscription

    Bloomberg, India TV join Star, Zee, 5 others in TAM boycott. DD to stay

    By A Correspondent

     

    Monday would’ve been a day of mixed emotions for the TAM Media Research head quarters in the Eastern Suburbs of Mumbai.

     

    Two more channels – the first amongst the standalones, wrote to TAM with an unsubscription notice. With yesterday’s development, the list of broadcast entities who have pulled the plug on TAM is:

    1. Star Network

    2. Zee Network

    3. Television18 and Viacom18 networks

    4. Multi Screen Media (MSM/Sony) network

    5. NDTV network

    6. Times Television network

    7. SAB network

    8. Bloomberg TV

    9. India TV

     

    A TAM spokespersons confirmed receipt of letters from the above. The reason for the mixed emotions was the fact that Prasar Bharati CEO has announced that he will not pull out his subscription from TAM services.

     

    Meanwhile, as per a communiqué issued by Bloomberg TV India, the channel has also asked TAM to stop reporting its viewership numbers.

     

    Sriram Kilambi

    Speaking about the termination, Sriram Kilambi, President of the channel said, “There are quite a few reasons that have led to this decision. One of the key issues is that all people meters that map the viewership trends are placed in the residences of viewers whereas the primary viewership of a business news channel like Bloomberg TV India is during working hours i.e. from the office. Furthermore, our analysis of TAM numbers indicate that sample size of people viewing business news is too small to be insightful. Therefore, the data that is generated by TAM does not represent the facts. It is better that they do not report data at all rather than report data that is insufficient and incomplete.” Over the last year, the channel has raised concerns over the methodology adopted by the TV measurement system.

     

  • As the cliche goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Unsubscribing from TV audience measurement might help improve television programming in India.

    Anil Thakraney: Divorcing TAM could be a blessing

    By Anil Thakraney

     

    Okay, so a whole lot of broadcasters are busy unsubscribing from TAM’s data. If you ask me, I would say that’s not such a bad thing. TAM’s methodologies have been questioned and debated for years and years, and yet the issues haven’t been resolved, there is discontent in the world of media, nobody seems to be happy. TV audience measurement has been a monopolistic situation, and therefore broadcasters had to simply bite the bullet. So far.

     

    I had met Shashi Sinha for an interview last year (for mxmindia), and we brought up the subject of lack of credibility in audience measurement. Sinha feels this is a problem that can be fixed with moolah. This is what he said: “Someone has to put money on the table, it’s as simple as that. The solutions are all known, I know very bright and talented people in research, what needs to be fixed is known. The problem is: No one is willing to invest. Today, if television measurement costs Rs 20 crores, what if Rs 100 crores was spent on it?” Although I am not an expert on this subject, have to say I am not sure if the problems have to do only with lack of adequate funding. Perhaps BARC will set it right next year, though I wonder if they have such deep pockets.

     

    Anyway, from the looks of it, crores of rupees worth advertising spend will now be decided, at least for the next one year, by many advertisers without using TAM’s data. And speaking for myself, this situation excites me. Because this means that advertisers and media planners will start using common sense and intuitive thinking. Instead of blindly putting massive amounts of money based on questionable data. As far as the Hindi GECs go, perhaps all the money won’t be spent on saas bahu shows, other formats/ideas could find much-needed support. This would put pressure on producers/channels to experiment more. Even on the news channels, advertisers would use gut feel, and perhaps shows whose anchors holler and shriek less will find some ad revenue. And if the decisions are proved wrong, planners and brand managers will be forced to take responsibility for their choices, rather than pass the buck onto TAM. In short, this would result in risky but innovative decisions.

     

    As the cliche goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Unsubscribing from TV audience measurement might help improve television programming in India. And cheers to that.

     

    ***

     

    PS: A photographer managed to get these expressions from bachchas. By giving them an ice-cream cone, and then abruptly taking it away from them. I know that’s mean. But it’s cute too. 🙂

     

     

    Anil Thakraney is a senior journalist and commentator. He is also Editor-at-Large, MxMIndia. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached via Twitter at @anilthakraney

     

  • If the ratings system is going to influence the size of advertising revenue that it does, it has to be credible in absolute terms, writes Shailesh Kapoor.

    Shailesh Kapoor: If You Had To Choose: Bad Ratings or No Ratings?

    By Shailesh Kapoor

     

    It’s been an eventful week for the television industry, the unfolding of which has been nothing short of a taut Hollywood thriller that promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. The backstory started with NDTV’s lawsuit against TAM last year, but the real action began last week when a top broadcaster (MSM) decided to hit TAM where it hurts the most, by simply pulling the plug. Times Television and a few others have followed suit. And the second act has not even started.

     

    There have been many points and counterpoints, both from the broadcasting and advertising fraternity. BARC’s ratings design is not going to see the light of the day before 2014, and hence, there is a sizeable time window to handle.

     

    The real question that should define the framework for this debate is: “Are the current ratings credible?” For me, the question is that and only that. Credibility is not graded. Here, there is no concept of “mostly credible”, “more credible than others” or “perhaps credible”. If the ratings system is going to influence the size of advertising revenue that it does, it has to be credible in absolute terms.

     

    Anyone who follows ratings closely (many people) and understands statistics (only a handful) will agree that the current ratings system has error margins which lack statistical robustness the moment you begin to look at markets or segments which are narrow, e.g. C&S 25+ SEC A Males in 5 metros. The error margins could be as high as 30% in such segment, which means that a rating from 2.1 to 3.9 may in reality represent the same viewership, i.e., 3.0%. Now imagine doing the same for C&S 25+ SEC A Males in Bengaluru. The error margins would cross 100%.

     

    In a way, TAM may have shot itself in the foot by reporting such data and allowing it to be analyzed. This attitude towards error margins could definitely not have been a result of ignorance, given the company’s rich heritage. But it seems to be a result of over-confidence, even arrogance, resulting out of being a monopolistic player in the television currency research space.

     

    Understandably, you cannot install more meters because your business model prohibits the same.But is that a justification to report data that could statistically be a result of pure chance, than a reflection of reality?

     

    The television industry has perhaps been guilty of going soft on the issue in the past, taking tough stands only on occasions that suit their business. Over a decade, I’ve been hearing the fig-leaf argument, i.e., “in the absence of anything else, TAM at least gives an indication”. Now that’s a compromise on the principle of credibility. That argument should have never been admissible in the first place.

     

    What’s the solution, then? It’s surprisingly simple. TAM should define an “error margin” or “confidence level” at which it will report data, e.g. maximum error of 10%. It should communicate the same to the entire industry, and then report only the data that clears this filter. If this means that certain markets and audience segments cannot be analyzed, then so be it. Some channels, especially English channels, may find the results irrelevant because they won’t be able to look at certain desired TG cuts, but it’s better not to look at error-laden data in any case.

     

    This may understandably result in much lesser “data” in the system, but less data of good quality should win over more data of bad quality any day. Of course, in doing this, TAM will have to admit that their error margins have been rather abysmal in the past. But the taste of a humble pie is not that bad, is it?

     

    Yes, a ratings-less system will create confusion. But if I had to do the ranking, I’d say: Good Ratings > No Ratings > Bad Ratings. For those suggesting Bad Ratings > No Ratings, a masterclass in statistics is highly recommended.

     

    Shailesh Kapoor is founder and CEO of media insights firm Ormax Media. He spent nine years in the television industry before turning entrepreneur. The views expressed here are his own. He can be reached at his Twitter handle @shaileshkapoor

     

  • SAB, which runs Mastiii, Dabangg and Dhamaal channels has joined others in the show of no-confidence in the prevailing television viewership measurement system in the country.

    No impact of AAAI, ISA statement. SAB pulls out of TAM subscription

    By A Correspondent

     

    To those who thought that broadcasters would back down after the apex bodies of advertisers (ISA) and ad agencies (AAAI) issued their statement endorsing the need to continue with the existing currency of television measurement administered by TAM, the move from Sri Adhikari Brothers (SAB) to pull out its subscription from TAM is a setback.

     

    SAB, which runs music channel Mastiii and regional entertainment channels Dabangg and Dhamaal, has joined MSM, Times TV and NDTV in the show of no-confidence in the prevailing television viewership measurement system in the country.

     

    Confirming the news, Mr Markand Adhikari, Vice-chairman and Managing Director of the SAB said he was pulling out given the reasons that are well-known.

     

    When asked on what his gameplan would be given that measurement numbers from a BARC-appointed system would be at least a year away, the issue will be discussed jointly with other channels.

     

    Meanwhile, a broadcaster who wished to stay anonymous is hopeful that there will be a settlement to the problem. “Losing out on subscriptions will impact TAM’s operations and hence it will surely provide a solution. And broadcasters too can’t live without measurement for too long.” The senior channel executive also indicated that while the IBF has issued an advisory last week, it may adopt a less offensive stance now.

     

  • In Loud & Clear, Ritu Midha visualizes life without TAM, and sees a murky picture.

    Ritu Midha: If no TAM TAMming, then what?

    By Ritu Midha

     

    Flashback to October 2012. DAS was rolled out in the metros. TAM organised workshops – made quite a few modifications in its universe size and otherwise, so that it could keep pace with the changes brought in by DAS.

     

    LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research, explained that there could be quite a few changes in television viewing pattern – fall could be seen in the numbers, mainly of big channels. After the initial turmoil – set patterns were expected to emerge again.

     

    We spoke to many a media professionals – everyone was happy about DAS, and in sync with TAM’s readiness for the new universe. Interestingly, a handful of media professionals pointed out the difficulties faced by them due to the number dark period of 30 days – when TAM chose not to release data for certain markets as DAS was settling in. In a world where television is bought and sold based on TAM ratings – it indeed was a difficult scenario to work in.

     

    And now suddenly the media space is abuzz with ‘news’ (newsy gossip) that Sony Entertainment television, Times television and NDTV have bid adieu to TAM, while Star, Zee, Viacom18 and Network18 are all set to do so in the next few days. And if everyone does quit, these biggies will not return to the TAM fold in a hurry. As I understand it, they will not subscribe to TAM data, but TAM will continue to measure them!

     

    To put it in a nutshell, the carpet is all set to be swept from under TAM’s feet this week. The biggest soap opera of the television industry is heading towards a climax.

     

    One might remember there was TAM and there was INTAM. They ran parallel for nearly eight years (throwing different data sets) before they merged. And as for measurement system, It took quite some time for the industry to see the virtues of people meter, complete roll over from diary system to people meter! And now while BARC is asking for a tender for the new television measurement system globally, the new system will not be in place in a hurry. Considering the sheer size of the country, even if it does not require seeding of people meters in every home and for every television set – it still will take substantial time to capture the width TAM is capturing now.

     

    Jumping again to early DAS days, all the constituents – channels, media agencies and marketers found it difficult to manage life with 30 data dark days – how will they then manage till BARC gets the new system in place? While every agency has its own optimising and predicting models – the key currency continues to be the data provided by TAM – and television continues to be the backbone of most media plans.

     

    I distinctly remember seeing ads of competing channels – both claiming to be No 1. And they would be both correct too! TG, markets or some other parameter would be different. Important thing, I assumed (and rightfully) was to prove oneself to be No 1 based on TAM numbers.

     

    Moving to now, whether the channels are right or not – is not under the purview of this piece (and neither do I, by no stretch of imagination, understand the numbers game better than the media professionals on either side of the fence). My concern is how will television be sold? Do the channels have a Plan B? Or, will the channels sell only on qualitative – which will not mean much, unless and until these are syndicated studies encompassing all channels of a specific genre.

     

    Digressing a little, on one side we have print – where quarterly research is considered to be a good option – and till it happens, half yearly numbers too are good enough. Collecting this data is a cumbersome process despite the recent changes – and print really does not change that frequently in content- and one does not have the luxury of changing newspaper by pressing a remote button.

     

    Web, meanwhile, spins numbers real time – and one can track data till previous day on most web tracking systems.

     

    Television, of course, releases weekly data. And with digitization – possibilities of more accurate, micro, and higher frequency measurement are unlimited – out of these frequency, obviously, does not really need to be enhanced. Transparency, cited everyone, was one of the key advantages of Digital Access System – which also implied more transparent and accurate measurement. And it is the same accuracy of data that is being questioned now – culprit, of course, is said to be the methodology or one can say data slicing.

     

    Back to my concern: how will the channels sell in the period between the TAM era and BARC system era:

    1. Projections based on historical numbers: What about the ‘coming up’ and ‘upcoming’ shows? Will the new shows be sold based on the previous shows in that slot?

    2. IRS data: Till the time the new system comes in – dependence on IRS data for television viewing pattern – it is a different issue many a show might have ended by the time the data comes out, or an event be long over – changing the entire paradigm

    3. Yearly deals are already closed – so less worry – only thing is the clients would never be convinced they are getting the value committed till they see numbers in their mailbox at regular intervals

    4. Or, they are just hitting TAM – where it hurts the most. Commercially! As media agencies and marketers will continue to subscribe to TAM – there is no need to worry. And continue they will till the time a better system is in place, and it manages to convince everyone that it is a better system

    5. Ironically, convincing agencies and marketers that TAM numbers do not project the complete picture might be the hardest battle channels would need to fight – unless they have a more plausible proof of their pudding being better than others.

     

    As a parting shot: I believe the most interesting will be the battle of news channels in a GRP-, TRP-, CPRP-free world – the year ahead is going to be the year of news channels courtesy the elections, flip-flopping economy, unfolding mysteries of IPL, and of course the gore! What will it be: my anchor was better than his… or Narendra Modi was on my channel for 30 seconds longer than his channel?!

     

    Ritu Midha is a senior journalist and web strategist based in Mumbai. She is also Consulting Editor and Editor – Special Projects, MxMIndia.

     

  • Four-part package: Interview with CVL Srinivas, Group M CEO South Asia + ISA & AAAI View + Agency/Client View + MxM Comment

    Dumping TAM is not the solution!

     

    Dumping a system does not solve the problem: CVL Srinivas
     

    While both AAAI and ISA have expressed their views on the controversy, we asked GroupM CEO South Asia CVL Srinivas, CEO South Asia, GroupM as head of the country’s largest media agency conglomerate for his views on the issue.

     

    As the country’s largest media agency conglomerate, what is Group M’s view on the current imbroglio – given that three broadcasters have stopped their subscriptions making charges?

    In our view it is an extremely ill-advised, ill-timed and regressive move. TAM is the rating system followed by the industry. Rating systems world over have evolved and keep evolving. To simply junk them altogether is not a solution. Issues if any need to be addressed jointly by all stakeholders as were done in the past. Both AAAI and ISA have already made their stand clear on this. As a responsible member of the industry we will work with our colleagues across industry bodies to help address the issue.

     

    You represent some of the biggest adspenders in India: are you happy with the data dished out by TAM week after week?

    In a dynamic market like ours which is seeing a lot of structural change (like digitization, increasing penetration of TV in smaller towns, more access to satellite channels etc) there is bound to be fluctuation every time the sample is refreshed or any other change is made. In addition, there are behavioural changes from a viewer perspective that keep happening. Nobody can deny the fact that consumption of content on digital platforms is growing at a rapid pace. TV ratings keep shifting and mirroring real life in a manner they best possibly can given the limitations of a sample survey.

    And your clients? Have they (especially big ones like Hindustan Unilever) raised issues about TAM’s and the data’s bonafides?

    Our clients continue to back TAM. They do not think that dumping a system solves the problem. Whatever questions keep coming up are always discussed openly with TAM and addressed.

     

    TV as a medium has shown robust growth despite a general slowdown. To a large extent this is because of the existing rating system. Given the magnitude of spends on TV, a rating system is a must. With no ratings a spot on one channel is the same as a spot on another channel. The lead channels in every genre will stand to lose the premium they command on rates.

     

    Does the fact that TAM is part-owned by your parent WPP put you under greater pressure from advertisers – since you obviously can’t be vociferously condemning TAM, if there was need for it?

    TAM is recognised as an industry system and has been in existence for many years. All clients, agencies and media owners have been using this data.

     

    Would you think that broadcasters have too much of ownership of the measurement exercise when actually it should be advertisers and media agencies since you’ll are the primary users of the data?

    While advertisers and agencies use the rating data to help plan and buy media, for broadcasters it is the currency that helps them sell their inventory. They are able to command a premium wherever ratings are high. They use ratings to market their programmes and channels.

     
    AGENCY+CLIENT VIEW
     

    Srinivasan K Swamy, CMD, RK Swamy BBDO and President, International Association of Advertisers (India Chapter)

     

    TV ratings have shown a downward trend after digitization of distribution. The decline is quite steep – as much of 20-25% in several instances. Such decline affects the revenue stream of broadcasters and hence it is natural for them to reject it. But it is like giving a dog (TAM) a bad name to hang it.

     

    Advertisers and agencies need ratings for advertising planning. It would be a retrograde step if the ratings had to be given a go-by, even for a short run. I am confident a solution will be found to continue the ratings even with Channels withdrawing their subscriptions.

     

    Lloyd Mathias, Lloyd Mathias, Director, Green Bean Ventures formerly with Tata Teleservices, Motorola and Pepsi and former Chairman, MRUC

    Basically media doesn’t like being measured by a third party. It happened in print with people raising objections to the NRS and later the IRS. In fact the Media Research Users Council (MRUC) which was set up by stakeholders faced a constant threat of boycott.

     

    The same lack of discomfort of being measured by a third party afflicts television too.

     

    However, in all fairness even advertisers have said that the number of Peoplemeters isn’t enough. I think the methodology has to be transparent, the Peoplemeter base has to increase and the system must factor in cross-consumption of media.
    ISA view: Advertiser cannot advertise without television ratings
     

    Statements issued by the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI)

     

    The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) has read with concern recent reports that some broadcasters have decided to stop subscription to television measurement service. This is a matter of immense importance as the measurement system is integral to the health of the industry. The rating system needs to continue for the smooth functioning of the industry as it’s the very foundation of the commercial process, media planning and pricing. The ISA believes that any measurement system should appropriately reflect the viewership pattern and should not be judged on a short term basis.

     

    The best course of action is to engage in a constructive dialogue and pursue continuous improvement. While some broadcasters have stopped using the current rating system for measurement, as advertisers we support it and will continue using it till another credible measurement system is made available. Any action taken which is detrimental to the measurement system would be detrimental to the industry at large. “An industry-accepted rating system is the need of the hour and ISA is working with rest of the industry to ensure this is in place and any action to the contrary will have an adverse impact” – Hemant Bakshi, Chairman, Managing Committee, The ISA and Executive Director, Home and Personal Care – Hindustan Unilever Limited.

     

    AAAI view: TV could lose popularity with advertisers

    Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has expressed shock at the decision of some channels, supported by the Broadcasters’ Association, IBF to decide not to subscribe to the only TV Ratings service in the country – TAM. TV ratings provide the currency based on which thousands of crores worth of advertising time is bought by advertisers with confidence. Ratings also provide the basis on which media agencies do sophisticated analysis and arrive at sharply targeted plans for a brand’s target audience to minimize wasteful advertising and improve advertising effectiveness.

     

    An established rating system augurs well for the Advertising and Marketing Industry, because it enables advertisers to invest large sums of money in advertising with the confidence that they are reaching the right number of desirable audiences. It has been seen from experience in India and other markets that an established media research study on an ongoing basis leads to rapid increase in advertising spends in that medium. Those media which do not have such a system have not grown in India. Also, the current TV ratings system has thrown up real leaders in each of the genres based on the audiences they deliver and enables such leaders to command a premium price based on such ratings, rather than advertisers and agencies having to rely on perception. And very often perception is different from reality.

     

    AAAI will hold broadcasters responsible for deliveries as per signed agreements based on the TV Ratings System. Says Arvind Sharma, President AAAI, “The move by broadcasters to discontinue with ratings is ill-advised and not in the interest of advertisers, advertising agencies or broadcasters. It will lead to overpaying and underpaying of advertising time, both of which will lead to a collapse of TV as an advertising medium. The ratings from Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) are yet some time away and until they are released it is critical to continue with the current system. Most broadcasters all over the world have some issue with media measurement systems but that does not mean that the system must be abandoned. Instead it must be improved and identified gaps must be plugged”.

     
    Wtf! Why can’t all stakeholders sit together and clear the mess?
     

    By Pradyuman Maheshwari

     

    The media industry is captained by grown-ups, wise and mature men and women. We propound theories on ways the world should be run on our news channels and send social messages via our soaps and shows. But, wtf, why can’t broadcasters, advertisers, advertising agencies and measurement/ research firms sit together and clear the mess?

     

    With BARC having invited proposals by issuing a global RFP, a new system can be expected to be in place this time next year. However, since there is a year to go and much business to be sought, can we do the following:

    1. Get a third-party to study the problems and come up with a white paper superquick? A consulting firm like Ernst & Young could be asked to do it. Or KPMG. Or PwC. Or whoever can do it without getting influenced by any of the stakeholders. We could ask the folks at BARC to do it. Let the three stakeholders plus the government-owned Doordarshan commission this soon.

     

    2. Let each stakeholder appoint a representative to have a Measurement Steering Committee which will work in the interim. These could be from amongst people running BARC currently.

     

    3. Alter the method of funding research. Although no one was willing to come on record on this, there is a sentiment that the broadcasters have a dominating influence on BARC (and now TAM). This has got to change (the perception and if it is indeed a fact). Currently, since it’s advertising which drives the broadcast business, the ad agency and the advertisers are the primary users of the data.

     

    Hence, the stoppage of subscription revenues going to TAM (and later BARC) can derail the entire system. And have a significant impact on the TV trade. Perhaps the South African model of a small percentage of all advertising revenue going to fund research may work.

     

    These are three immediate measures that may work. There are various other minds at work… one hopes we will eventually see reason.

     

    Whatever be the way out of the mess, it’s clear that the industry can ill-afford a system without a measurement system. TAM, in this case. And it’s also important TAM understands the problems of broadcasters and corrects all the problem areas.

     

    That’s the only way to go.

     
  • New set of locally relevant reality shows launched

    Big Magic Bihar & Jharkhand on a high, launches new shows

    By A Correspondent

     

    There is much activity in the politically fertile lands of Bihar and Jharkhand. The localised Big Magic offering for the two states from the Reliance Broadcast Network is buoyant with numero uno status in Bihar over 8 weeks as per TAM ratings.*

     

    Speaking on the channel’s performance, Sunil Kumaran, Business Head – Language TV, RBNL said, “Our formula of regionalisation of content has worked once again. Our tailored content for the region, basis local predilections, ensures it delivers to requirements, making it an excellent platform for audiences and marketers alike.”

     

    Sprucing up the content line-up, in the coming months, Big Magic Bihar and Jharkhand have announced the launch of locally relevant properties like reality shows BIG Memsaab Bihar – hosted by TV Actress Preeti Chaudhary, Rasoi ki Rani – Star Special hosted by Chef Rakesh Sethi and TV Actress Madhura Naik which will see a stream of television actresses on the  cookery show, Big Fame Star with mentor duo Varun Badola and Rajeshwari Sachdev and Big Junior Star, along with its new fiction line ups titled Beta hi Chahiye and Jai Ma Vindhyavasini all in sync with local sensibilities.

     

    *Note TAM does not share ratings with the media any longer, hence ratings are as claimed by the channel

     

  • TAM is adding 11 million digital households within its base of 60 million-strong TV-owning households

    TAM updates Universe, adds 11 mn digital households

    By A Correspondent

     

    Given the significant change in the base post the second phase of digitization (DAS-II), TAM has announced on its website that its Universe will be updated in week 19, 2013 (week beginning May 5, 2013)

     

    “We are also using this opportunity to update not only those markets that are under the purview of DAS Phase 2 but also non-DAS markets that may have registered a significant increase in digital penetration,

     

    “With this update, we will be adding a significant 11 million digital households within the TAM surveyed markets (a base of 60 million TV owning households). This update now tips the C&S universe profile towards digital: Digital now accounts for more than half the TV owning households (56%) within the TAM surveyed markets.”

     

    The changes will mean some issues with those working on the TAM software. Details for this can be accessed at: http://www.tamindia.com/tamindia/NL_Tam/DAS_Phase_2-Universe_Update_Document.pdf

     

  • TAM has fortified its TV Panel Home Security Process by setting up a dedicated vigilance desk, and has appointed a President's Medal awardee and veteran in vigilance, investigation and crime detection to head it

    TAM appoints top cop to guard its homes

    By A Correspondent

     

    TAM Media Research, industry’s centrally appointed Television Audience Measurement cell, in a bid to further fortify its TV Panel Home Security process, has set up a dedicated desk for vigilance, investigation and crime detection. This desk will be chaired by Ravi Ratanjankar as Head, Vigilance & Corporate Risk Mitigation.

     

    Mr Ratanjankar is a President’s medal awardee and a crime investigation veteran with over 22 years of experience in this field. His special role in TAM will help fortify the organization against any potential vested interest parties trying to break into the TAM system.

     

    Commenting on the initiative, LV Krishnan, CEO, TAM Media Research, said, “Our core service of Television Audience Measurement (TAM) has played a silent, yet, central role in helping the Indian Broadcast and Advertising industry reach the size and stature we know of today. This has only happened because of our regular proactive measures, one of them being constant expansion and enhancement of our TV audience panel home. Today, our TV audience measurement panel covers over 225 towns and cities across urban and semi-rural markets covering all the key states of India.

     

    “The key here is, and which a very few realize, that the complexity of such huge on-ground operations do run a risk of potential external threats. In our unrelenting focus towards quality and the need to protect the services from any types of external threats, TAM is taking further necessary steps that will ensure a deeper safeguard to the services via stronger walls of security and vigilance in the coming months and years. Ravi’s appointment towards this is not the end but one of the many more initiatives that Industry will see. I am very pleased to have Ravi as part of my team. We are very sure that his role and involvement will further elevate TAM to new performance benchmarks.”

     

    Mr Ratanjankar comes with an experience of over 22 years as Assistant Commissioner in Maharashtra Police and was leading teams in special investigations, traversing various types of investigative projects. Prior to joining TAM, he was with the HDFC Bank Ltd handling vigilance functions pan-India and helping the implementation of fraud management systems. His repertoire of experience has been enriched by stints in the CBI, Mumbai Crime Branch, various police stations in Mumbai, combat experience in Naxalite districts etc.

     

  • At the CII CEOs' roundtable on broadcast, I&B Minister Manish Tewari mooted the idea of a 'techno-commercial' regulator for the broadcast sector

    Think aloud for a Broadcast Regulator: Manish Tewari

    By A Correspondent

     

    Manish Tewari

    Reiterating the government’s commitment for smooth cable TV digitization and protecting consumer interests, Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari has asked the broadcast industry to ‘think aloud’ for a separate broadcast regulator.

     

    Speaking at the 4th CII CEOs’ roundtable on broadcast, the minister mooted the idea of a ‘techno-commercial’ regulator for the broadcast sector, which is witnessing rapid changes in the wake of cable TV digitization. He also made it clear that content will not be regulated by the government.

     

    Mr Tewari said that a viable measurement system for assessing audience tastes and preferences would enable the broadcasting industry to position sustainable revenue models. The broadcasting industry needed to initiate immediate steps for setting up the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), he said, adding that the digitization process had created a model where the given database emerging from the process could be analyzed and expanded exponentially. The government was willing to provide this data to an industry-created body. This body in turn could utilize the data for use in the public space. The initiation of this industry-led process would ensure a two-way flow of information necessary for analyzing advertising trends and models.

     

    KVL Narayan Rao, Executive Vice Chairperson, NDTV Ltd outlined how for some broadcasters, carriage fees remains burdensome and subscription revenues are not forthcoming as yet. “Issues such as TRAI regulation on 12-minute ad cap are the issues that need to be deliberated upon,” he said.

     

    Elaborating further, the Mr Tewari said that there had to be a balance between the evolution of technology and the regulatory architecture. In view of the changes taking place in the broadcasting space, a discussion was necessary within the industry regarding the need of a regulator on techno-commercial grounds. Referring to the digitization mechanism, he said that all stakeholders had to ensure that they work together for creating an enabling environment. “This is critical in view of the consumer being the biggest stakeholder and end-beneficiary. The government is aware of the needs of the consumer and desires that the whole process of implementation ought to be done causing the least pain to the biggest beneficiary, ie the consumer. Digitization as a process has to be viewed as a game changer as far as the media landscape in this country is concerned, as benefits will accrue to all the stakeholders involved and each plays a vital role in the growth of the industry,” he said.

     

    In a major relief to broadcast channels, Mr Tewari maintained that a solution would be brought about to the TRAI’s recent regulation barring television channels from telecasting more than 12 minutes of advertisements every hour. He said the broadcast landscape is changing in the country with digitization, and this issue of fixing time slots for advertisements will be taken up at an appropriate time. He also expressed concern over the TAM TRP data and said that the BARC should be created at the earliest.

     

    Uday Kumar Varma, Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, said that the entire exercise of digitization was to bring out a transparent mechanism, credible subscriber data and finally ensure that the dividends of digitization reach the end consumers. “We have discarded a system which was not transparent and are moving towards a system which has to be transparent,” he said.

     

    The government favoured domestic manufacturing and deployment of set-top box and may also consider fixing certain percentage (for domestic manufacturers) for reaching out to the next 50 million consumers in the subsequent phases of digitization, Mr Varma said, and requested domestic set-top box manufactures to match up with quality, price, and competitive standards as acceptable to MSOs.

     

    The ministry is also looking at the status of channel aggregators, in the wake of queries on their ‘legal status’ in the digitization process.

     

  • Faceless, identity-less statistics – or the very centre of all analytical exercises? It's time to give viewers their due

    Paritosh Joshi: Ratings need reinventing

    By Paritosh Joshi

     

    A story on this site published in May 2012, “TAM to cross 10,000 Peoplemeter mark soon”, signalled TAM’s intention to substantially deepen its coverage as India’s television footprint continued relentless growth.

     

    It brought to mind a conversation I had with senior TAM personnel a few years ago where they explained to me the mammoth scale of the data processing task that tracking viewership involved. Here is a simplistic way of looking at it:

    1 2 3 4
    Homes Viewers (Age 4+) per home Average daily time spent (seconds) Unique data points (1. x 2. X 3.)
    10,000 4 14,400 576,000,000

     

    A single day’s dataset has very near 0.6 billion unique data points. Given that ratings are released weekly, the ratings tables that you read are compiled after compiling information from ~4 billion data points.

     

    Let us now throw in a comparison with another medium we are all familiar with: Facebook. In September 2012, Mark Zuckerberg announced Facebook’s acquiring its 1 billionth subscriber. Over a half of these are active in a given week and post at a steady rate of 3 updates a day. That’s 1.5 billion updates a day or 10.5 billion a week.

     

    In both cases we are talking about really large numbers. The difference is what happens next.

     

    TAM crunches all the 4 billion data points down to 1 second granularity viewership trends for each channel that it tracks. That gives you, say, 400 channels being tracked. Facebook, taking a radically different view, starts trying to triangulate what are the likes, dislikes, interests and affiliations of each one of 1 billion individuals.

     

    In the TAM view of the world, individuals are faceless, identity-less statistics who vote with their eyes for different channels and shows. In the Facebook view of the world, individuals are the very center of all analytical exercises helping the company offer individually tailored suggestions for everything from whom they should seek out to make friends with through what they ought to be buying.

     

    The difference is telling. The legacy medium places the content at the centre of the analysis plan, the new age one, the consumer. While the first plan crunches a large dataset down to a relatively compact tabulation, the second embraces the concept of ‘Big Data’ where datasets going into the Exabyte order of magnitude (an Exabyte is 1 billion gigabytes) are routine.

     

    Ratings have been around from times when mechanized data processing was in its infancy and the first task before any database manager was reducing and compressing voluminous data into a few large chunks that could then be subjected to analysis. In the specific case of television viewership, an easy was to construct a histogram that plotted the number of viewers against each channel and program. This histogram would then be projected up from the sample to the population to yield an estimate of the percentage of people who watched a particular program: the rating. Since this was the only way in which we had ever seen television viewership being tracked and reported we found nothing odd or inadequate about it. Even today, when digital media enable us to target individuals with very precisely defined characteristics, we still don’t challenge the rather coarse approach that ratings take.

     

    So here is a thought: It is time for television measurement to place the viewer at the centre of the measurement system.

     

    The advent of digitization in India’s television landscape throws up an interesting possibility. If a return path from subscriber to distribution platform is natively available, as it is in digital cable systems or is bolted on using various modes of internet access, as it is in DTH, it becomes possible to know continuously what channel the set top box is tuned to. Techniques like Data Fusion and Ascription (dealt with in a previous column that you can find here) make it possible to marry set top box data with respondent level Peoplemeter data thus magnifying it to large digitally connected populations, within defined levels of statistical error. It is now possible, provided we already have access to cable or DTH operators’ subscriber lists, to develop very good estimates of the viewership behaviours of individual consumers.

     

    In effect, we can tell, within defined levels of error, what an individual in a digital cable or DTH home consumes on television through the day. We now have a view that is viewer centred rather than channel/programme centred. This is where the ‘Big Data’ approach must come in. The massive datasets that are born of the union of Peoplemeter and Set Top Box data need Big Data tools to be managed sensibly. Mining the datasets using these tools can yield an unprecedented level of textured understanding and individually addressable propositions.

     

    And given that digital distribution platforms now have the ability to push messages and suggestions to the viewer, just like online media do, we can use such insights to deliver unique marketing messages, whether for broadcast content or for client brands.

     

    Come on then, BARC, put that viewer at the centre.

     

    Paritosh Joshi has been a marketer, a mediaperson and a key officebearer on industry bodies. He is developing an independent media advisory practice. His column, Media Matrix, appears on MxMIndia, usually on Thursdays