Television has rapidly become an important medium of communication, information and entertainment. This has led to an expansion in its reach and the channels being televised. Therefore, in a world of cutthroat competition and innovative programming, making an informed decision about the audience’s viewing habits does help in staying a few steps ahead of the competition.
This requirement brought about the need for specialised market research. TAM (Television Audience Measurement) is thus used for gauging how well a particular programme is being received.
What are they?
TAM Media Research is a joint collaboration between Nielsen Company and Kantar Media Research. Presently, it is headed by Mr. L. V. Krishnan, C.E.O. and Mr. Pradeep Hejmadi, Senior Vice President.
“Appointed by the Industry stakeholders of ISA (Indian Society of Advertisers), IBF (Indian Broadcast Foundation) and AAAI (Advertising Agencies Association of India) in 1998, the raison d’être for TAM (Television Audience Measurement) is to be the central Industry provider of Media and Consumer Insights to the various stakeholders of the Indian Media and Entertainment Industry - Advertisers & Marketers, Media Owners, Media Agencies and the Academia.”
As of now, TAM is the only electronic rating agency in India. It is the central figure of authority where TV viewership is concerned. TAM casts a wide net, covering all towns and cities with a population of more than a lakh, and semi rural towns with a population of less than a lakh. Its sample panel consists of 36,000 individuals from across 165 cities and towns, covering about 8, 150 homes which have a television set!
How are they measured?
In 2006, TAM had initiated a study on the future of Digital Television, something which was a first of its kind. After that, since 2007, TAM is responsible for measuring and reporting on the TV viewership data “for Terrestrial TV Homes, Cable & Satellite TV Homes and the Digital TV Homes.” (Information courtesy: http://www.tamindia.com/tamindia/Company_Profile.htm)
For the purpose of measuring the audience viewership, TAM Media Research makes use of the TVM5 peoplemeter.
The Nielsen peoplemeters are a state-of-the-art technology, known for their accuracy and detail which has surpassed all the previous forms of alternative measurements that have been used.
The audience viewership is measured in the following steps:
· The Establishment Survey: This survey is conducted to determine the characteristics of the audience watching a particular programme, keeping the social and demographic features in mind. Thus, it provides Nielsen a database of the target households where the peoplemeter is to be installed.
· The Panel: This is the statistical sample of the target audience to be measured. A Nielsen technician installs the peoplemeter in these houses, which is determined by the establishment survey.
· The Peoplemeter: Peoplemeters are installed in every house in the panel. Each meter is capable of measuring the television viewing activity of every member of the house, for every different television set in the house. This meter, then transmits all the stored data to a production centre, through the household television/cellular line.
· The Polling: The entire process, where the date is transferred from the peoplemeters to the production centre, by means of a television/cellular line is called polling.
What are they used for?
The TAM system, as mentioned above is used for quantifying and qualifying the audience information and channelising it towards market research. While measuring the viewership in the broadcast medium, one rating point is taken as one percent viewing out of the population group being monitored.
The responsibility of the TAM system is to provide an accurate reading of all the houses included in the panel and determine effectively the ratings and viewership of each of the channels. It is imperative for a TAM system to be not just reliable, but also to be a source of unbiased data and to be transparent i.e. open for any kind of inspection or auditing.
It is important to note, however, that TAM is used for measuring not only the television viewership garnered by a programme, but also for a variety of reason such as advertising expenditure of various advertisers, brand and product categories as well as print and radio, through its division, known as AdEx India.
Why are they important?
The ratings, measured by the peoplemeter and considered to be accurate, help the broadcasters gauge the popularity of a particular programme and charge the advertisers accordingly. The TAM Media Research comprises of the S-group, which is a specialist strategy group which has pioneered in the field of broadcast management. The S-group has been set-up to derive a better understanding of consumption trends and, through systematic research aims to increase the viewership by effectively catering to the target audience’s needs.
The Top 5 TV channels
The top 5 television channels today, are:
· Star Plus
· Colors
· Zee TV
· Sony
· Imagine TV
Top 5 programmes in India
· Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon? (Star Plus)
· Geet Hui Sabsi Parayi (Star One)
· Bigg Boss 5 (Colors)
· Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hain (Star Plus)
· Hitler Didi (Zee TV)
What are the limitations of TAM?
TAM is criticised for the following reasons:
· Lack of accuracy: Although TAM measures the viewership of a particular programme, it does not cover the duration of the viewership. Therefore, if a viewer watches a particular television show for not more than a minute, the rating point is awarded for the entire duration of that show, not just for the one minute.
· Sample size: TAM has been criticised for the sample size of the panel. The panel is not considered to be all-encompassing, when it comes to the entire population of the country. It is for this reason that the more discerning audience feels that they have not been taken into consideration, while formulating concepts for new shows.
· Lack of timeliness: TAM takes a week to report the television rating points of shows. Its competitor aMap makes the data available on a daily basis for its clients, unlike the weekly ratings given by TAM. In a dynamic media environment, it thus becomes imperative for TAM to deliver on time, and toe the line with its competitors.
CONCLUSION
Through this project, one can come to realize that although TAM is a pioneer in the technology of calculating ratings, having won accolades at various International Research and Communications seminars, most notably the ESOMAR – Asia Pacific Conference in Shanghai & WAM Conference in Geneva in 2004. The project acquaints the reader with the functioning of the TAM, and the process involved in calculating the ratings of each programme. However, no system is infallible. TAM also has its own set of limitations that it needs to overcome. That said, media and market research is here to stay. And as long as there is an expansion of media enterprises in the country, there will always be a requirement for technology like TAM to assess the various market segments.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
· 4P Business and Marketing - http://www.4psbusinessandmarketing.com/16062011/storyd.asp?sid=4631&pageno=1
· TRP Ratings from 18/09/2011 to 24/09/2011 - http://oceansgroups.webs.com/apps/forums/topics/show/6233065-trp-ratings-from-18-09-2011-to-24-09-2011
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