FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS TV AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA
Why do we need a TV audience measurement system? TV broadcasters and their sales houses, advertisers and agencies interact in the trade of TV advertising time. To ensure that media planning, sales and purchase are based on the factual performance of TV programs, a common audience currency is needed. SMMC has commissioned GfK with the continuous electronic measurement of the TV viewing behavior in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, starting in 2015. It represents the official TV audience currency in the Kingdom and meets the requirements of a transparent, reliable and innovative TV audience measurement system. What is a TAM panel? TAM stands for TV Audience Measurement which is the electronic measurement of TV viewing behavior by means of special metering technology. Representative data on TV consumption is obtained on the basis of a panel of randomly selected households representing the population of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The GfK TAM panel comprises 2,000 panel households with approximately 10,500 individuals aged four or over. Sophisticated statistical methods allow a precise projection from selected households to the universe the population of the KSA. How do you select your TV panel households? Building a representative panel means knowing the universe or the population in a country very precisely. The information about demographic dimensions such as (but not limited to) age, gender or education, complemented by detailed information about the TV equipment in the households is taken from an initial Establishment Survey, carried out by GfK and based on a representative sample of 27,000 households. Quotas for the Establishment Survey sample for regions, nationality and type of household are taken from official statistics from CDSI. Apart from the target structure for the panel, the Establishment Survey sample serves as the source for the selection of the 2,000 households used in the GfK panel. 2 Frequently Asked Questions
How is the country s population calculated and represented on the TAM panel? The research universe consists of the marketable population living in private households in the territory of Saudi Arabia, including nationals and expatriates (both Arabs and foreigners) for whom the Kingdom is their permanent place of residence. Excluding the non-marketable population, the total population or universe in KSA comprises 25.4 * million individuals and 4.7 million households. The TV panel is a model of the marketable population in KSA and consists of 10,500 individuals in 2,000 panel households. This means that each panel member represents about 2,500 individuals in the population. Those excluded, referred to as the non-marketable population are people in labor camps, housemaids, and similar expatriates. How do you protect the personal information of panel members? SMMC has commissioned a globally trusted market research company GfK to introduce the TV audience measurement in KSA. We have a strict data protection policy based on rigid safeguarding procedures. Within GfK, only a small team dedicated to panel management has access to the identity of panel members. Participants can rest assured that their personal data will remain unknown to anyone outside our small Panel Management Team. Are panel members paid for their participation? As a thank you for their involvement, panel members take part in an incentive system that rewards their degree of participation. What age group is considered for the TAM reporting? TV audience research in the KSA refers to individuals aged four years and over. Apart from this, the reporting system allows flexible segmentation of age groups. * Source: CDSI. Population figures will be regularly adapted according to updates provided by CDSI. 3 Frequently Asked Questions
Can people apply to join the GfK TAM panel? It is not possible to apply to become a panel member. In order to avoid any bias from self-selection, we follow a strict recruitment process based on a random selection method. This ensures that the panel is representative of the research universe and not vulnerable to bias. How long can members stay in the panel? Panel members can stay in the panel as long as they wish. The intention is to have a minimum turnover of 25% per year to allow us to keep the panel up-to-date, and continuously adapt it to trends in an evolving TV market. Can panel members go on vacation? Participants can continue to live their normal daily life, including taking vacations. In case of holidays, panel members are kindly requested to inform the GfK helpdesk about their absence. Does GfK provide a hotline/helpdesk for panel members? For any questions panel members contact GfK exclusively. This can be done by email (KSA.TAM.SVC@gfk.com) or phone (Tel 800 247 2477). The GfK helpdesk for panel members is happy to answer every kind of questions that might come up in terms of participation in the GfK TV panel. How do you install the metering device in panelists homes? We have a network of qualified technicians to install the metering technology in panel households. The GfK meter technology consists of a small box with a display and a remote control. Each TV set in the household is connected to a dedicated GfK meter. Also included in the measurement are connected devices such as DVD players, PVRs, game consoles, etc. How do you know who is watching TV and when? As part of the GfK meter technology, every household receives a special remote control. On this device each household member has a dedicated button to register as a viewer using a simple push button system. When the TV set is switched on, the display asks 4 Frequently Asked Questions
the individuals in the room to log themselves in by pushing their respective buttons on the remote control. They do the same to log out of the system as they leave the room. Guests can be registered in the same way using dedicated buttons. How does the GfK meter work? Our meter technology makes use as easy as possible for the participating households. As soon as a TV set is switched on, the GfK meter automatically registers the channels viewed and switching across channels. Collected data is automatically transmitted overnight from the meter to our data center. No effort from the household is required for this. Is catch-up/time-shift viewing included in the GfK TAM system? PVR, DVDR and VCR as playback as well as the use of catch-up services are measured and can be reported if it occurs within seven days of the original broadcast. This time-shift viewing is included in the final audience ratings, available eight days after the original transmission date. What happens if a TV is switched on but no viewer is logged? Every new panel member is instructed how to handle the pushbutton system and is asked to comply with the guidance. We carry out numerous quality and plausibility controls and contact households with unusual patterns in order to check that viewing behavior is genuine. How and when is the data transmitted to the GfK data center in Riyadh? The data collected by the GfK meters during a TV day is stored in the meter devices and transmitted to our data center overnight. The transfer starts at 3:00 am in the morning. The data transfer is accomplished in a so-called Data Call In procedure operated from the GfK data center in Riyadh. As soon as the data transfer is finished, the data production, weighting and projection start. At 10:00 am, the TV market is provided with the overnight reports for the previous day. 5 Frequently Asked Questions
What is Evogenius and what is it used for? Evogenius is our comprehensive product suite for TAM operations. Evogenius Production includes internal tools for the GfK team to operate the TAM system including data production, panel maintenance and TV monitoring. Evogenius Advertising, Reporting and Web are end-user tools for media planning and reporting. How many TV channels are referenced in the GfK TAM system in KSA? The GfK TAM system is able to process an unlimited number of TV channels and can be adapted to the requirements of the TV market in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Additional TV channels can be included into the measurement in accordance with market demand. How were the referenced channels selected? The initial selection of channels was based on their relevance in terms of audience and advertising-funded broadcasting. The initial selection was an elimination process between the stakeholders and GfK. It will be reviewed from time-to-time based on the same principles. In the longer term, SMMC wishes to expand the number of channels in response to demand from the market. We will actively pursue this. Is it possible to add further TV channels to the research at a later stage? The main principles for the addition or replacement of channels are their relevance in terms of audience and advertising-funded broadcasting. If a channel turns out to be attracting a significant audience then the stakeholders may decide to replace an existing channel with a new one, or to add a completely new channel altogether. In order to keep the system stable such adjustments are supposed to happen only within the agreed frequency of review procedures. What information is available on the content of TV channels? The viewing behavior data collected by the GfK meter is reported in time bands across the day. In addition, for the main channels, GfK collects information on their broadcasted content. This information, which includes grids with detailed broadcast timings, program name 6 Frequently Asked Questions
and genre, is matched to the measured data on viewing behavior in order to generate performance metrics for specific programs, ad breaks or commercials. How do you define TV viewing? Panel members are defined as viewing when they are present in a room with a television set switched on. Based on the individual viewing time, several specific performance metrics can be computed. How is the audience for a program calculated? There are different metrics to describe the performance of a program. One key performance metric is the rating. The rating represents the average audience of a program during the entire duration of this program. A rating is provided either as an absolute figure or as a percentage. Each individual is considered with his or her individual duration of viewing a program: TV rating in % = individual viewing time of the program/total duration of the program x 100 How is the audience for a commercial calculated? The audience of a commercial is represented by the rating. A rating is provided either as an absolute figure or as a percentage. Each individual is considered with his individual duration of viewing a commercial: TV rating in % = individual viewing time of the commercial/total duration of the commercial x 100 What are the main metrics that describe the performance of events on TV? The GfK TAM system in KSA uses the same metrics that are common in all major TV markets. The most important of these metrics deals with the size of the audience of an event (rating); or with the share that a certain event has in the total TV audience at that time (audience share); or with the average viewing time of a certain event (viewing time). Events can be programs, ad breaks or single commercials. A glossary of definitions will be available for all users. 7 Frequently Asked Questions
What is measured and used for the reports? The GfK meters connected to the TV sets collect which channels are on the TV screen and for how long. In addition, the individuals in the TV panel households register with a special remote control so we know who was present in the room when the TV set switched was on. By merging this data it is possible to report audiences for specific target groups e.g. based on age, gender or other demographic variables and to assess which programs appeal more to specific population groups. What is the benefit of TV audience measurement for advertisers and MBUs? For the first time in KSA, advertisers and MBUs can analyze ratings not only for programs and channels, but also for advertising breaks and commercials. The TV ratings are important for advertisers and MBUs as the basis for media planning and performance control of the purchased TV advertising time. Our TV audience currency makes sure that media planning, media sales and purchase of advertising time in KSA are all based on the same common metrics. In this way the GfK reporting tools allow us to analyze the performance of TV advertising based on universal metrics such as gross rating point (GRP), net reach, or opportunity to see (OTS). So advertisers and MBUs cannot only plan and optimize their TV campaigns, but also identify and focus on specific target groups. What is the benefit of TV audience measurement for TV channels? For broadcasters this data is essential as the basis of the performance control of their broadcasted content, and the planning and adjustment of their daily program grids. In addition, all relevant metrics such as (but not limited to) ratings, audience shares or viewing time are available not only on a program level, but also for very granular time segments within a program. This helps broadcasters to constantly improve their content. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
What measures do you take to ensure the TAM results are accurate? Our TAM system is based on collecting relevant data from a representative sample of households and the individuals living there. Our TAM panel comprises 2,000 panel households with approximately 10,500 individuals aged four or over. Sophisticated statistical methods allow a precise projection from selected households to the universe the population of the KSA. With one household representing 2,500 households in the universe, it provides an excellent ratio of population by sample size. Based on global standards for best practice, set up and operations, the GfK TAM system is independently and continuously reviewed and audited by auditor CESP, commissioned by SMMC. 9 Frequently Asked Questions
About GfK GfK is the trusted source of relevant market and consumer information that enables its clients to make smarter decisions. More than 13,000 market research experts combine their passion with GfK s long-standing data science experience. This allows GfK to deliver vital global insights matched with local market intelligence from more than 100 countries. By using innovative technologies and data sciences, GfK turns big data into smart data, enabling its clients to improve their competitive edge and enrich consumers experiences and choices. www.gfk.com/ksa/en/audience_measurement GfK. Growth from Knowledge GfK 2015