tview is a major step forward for the TV and advertising industry in the UAE
The Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC) has announced that the UAE’s long-awaited television audience measurement system or people-meters is ready to be deployed to broadcasters and advertisers in the UAE.
A staged rollout of the system will start from July 1st before the official launch in October 2012.
The people meter system will be known in the UAE as ‘tview’ and the objective is to advance the TV media industry by generating transparent, accountable and reliable ratings that will be used as a currency of trade.
This viewing research data will enable broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers to improve TV programming, scheduling and advertising.
tview’s unique proposition is that it provides minute-by-minute viewing data delivered the following day. The data includes additional demographic information such as nationality, gender, location, age and socio-economic status for viewers aged 4 and above, although all data is reported anonymously and individuals are not identified.
“tview is a major step forward for the TV and advertising industry in the UAE, providing in-depth, objective data which can be used to make better programmes, improve TV schedules and help advertisers reach the people who are most interested in their products,” said Christopher O’Hearn, EMMC’s General Manager.
EMMC is a joint venture of leading broadcast entities, Abu Dhabi Media, Sharjah Media, Rotana Media, and Etisalat, and is also supported by DU.
The project was the result of a Federal Cabinet initiative and has been led by the National Media Council and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
The Director-General of the NMC, Mr Ibrahim Al Abed, is the chairman of EMMC and the TRA’s Director-General Mr Mohamed Al Ghanim sits on the board.
Welcoming the launch Mr Ibrahim Al Abed said: “This is the first project of its kind in the Gulf and I am very pleased that the UAE, with its thriving media sector, is leading the way. I look forward to the success of the system and encourage its adoption by broadcasters and advertisers.” The project has been underway since January 2010 and was endorsed by the Ministerial Council for Services in March 2010, with the first steps being large scale surveys and the setup of the sample panel representing the UAE population. 850 homes have been chosen to take part and become the tview panel and have the people meter boxes installed in their homes and connected to the television screens.
Key industry players have been consulted and recent detailed technical discussions with media buying units have led to changes in the tview panel setup.
“Inevitably, there are concerns with any change and we have done our best to engage with the industry to address any issues. While it has caused some delay, it has also helped to deliver an even more robust and credible system, which the industry can have complete confidence in,” said Mr O’Hearn.
In addition to the data provided in full to subscribers, EMMC will make extracts of the tview ratings information publicly available on its website www.tview.ae and will distribute summaries to trade and press.
This is a great idea and something that has been needed to give true answers and understanding to advertisers who have not been happy in the past.
I have two points to make. It still has a focus on FTA channels and such a large amount of viewing is to pay TV channels such as football channels. And that is only measures the viewing to one TV channel. We all know that viewing, especially for young men, is on any TV set other than the main TV.
I am sure that these issues will be sorted and that this is indeed a step in the correction direction.
I think the team led by Chris has done a great job and no doubt other countries in the Gulf will learn from this project.
The TV already serves large amounts of advertising, much larger than in other parts of the world. Content is often undermined in favor of profits, which is not a quality indicator.
Anyway, at least we will know what the public really likes, what more to offer and what to stop showing. All together, it is a great development towards progress.