Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd.

(aMap)
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This article is written like an advertisement. Please help rewrite this article from a neutral point of view. For blatant advertising that would require a fundamental rewrite to become encyclopedic, use {{db-spam}} to mark for speedy deletion. (August 2010) Audience Measurement & Analytics Limited (aMap) is the only overnight TV Audience Measurement System that provides data on Television in India on multiple dimensions like demographics, ownership, viewership etc.

Contents
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1 Background 2 Activities 3 aMap's Methodology 4 aMap Reinforced 5 aMap chosen as audience measurement currency by Eurodata TV Worldwide 6 Connectivity Data 7 Audience Research Laboratory 8 See also 9 References 10 External links

[edit] Background
Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd., also known as aMap, began in 2004 on the basis of its research in India, which showed that a significant number of opinion leaders felt that the industry required a state-of-art audience measurement system. aMap collects viewership data using Telecontrol VIII data collection units sourced from Telecontrol AG, and wireless connections using GSM modems. The measurement system of aMap is rigorous and comprehensive enough to handle a complex multi-layered Indian audience. Also, because of competition among so many channels, the need was to get data much faster.

[edit] Activities
aMap today, in India, has established itself as the Asias largest and only overnight television audience measurement system with latest technology and system driven procedures for providing highly reliable and quality data on television ratings, gross rating points (GRP), reach, time spent, market share, target groups, connectivity of channels, content analysis and much more. Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd.(aMap) has:

The Asias largest overnight panel encompassing 6,000 Metered Homes Pan India presence - aMap reaches 31 Markets in India Covers uncovered markets - Jammu, Guwahati, Bihar and Jharkhand introduced first time in India Meeting the needs of the media industry through: Overnight availability of TV ratings data Data availability on multiple data dimensions like demographics, ownership, viewing intensity, etc

aMap delivers data overnight so that yesterdays data can be accessed today by the subscribers.[1][2] Over and above the usual demographics like SEC, age, gender and C&S availability, viewing data is also reported across durable ownership, vehicle ownership, type of TV, size of household, occupation and education of individuals, monthly household income, children at home, chief wage earner, type of dwelling and many more.

[edit] aMap's Methodology

aMaps methodology is rigorous. A team comprising of Telecontrol experts, three professors at IIM Ahmedabad has developed mathematical and statistical modules that help aMap in undertaking a very rigorous and coherent data health check every day. By virtue of large sample size and rigorous methodology, aMaps data is very reliable, sensitive and stable.

[edit] aMap Reinforced

In September 2008 aMap roped Joseph Eapen as Director (Research).[3]. Eapen is an audience measurement veteran. He had managed the first peoplemeter system in the Gulf (AGB Gulf) for over a decade, in the 90s. He was responsible for getting the system successfully audited by the industry and the Ministry of Information - UAE. By June 2009, Eapen took on the responsibilities as CEO of aMapDigital - aMap's syndicated, stand-alone, DTH viewership measurement panel. He initiated the partnership between aMap and Eurodata TV Worldwide to provide International TV ratings in India. aMap has thus become a one-stop shop for TV viewership data from around the globe, it now covers 90 countries[4].

About aMap

In October 2009 Joseph Eapen took over as the CEO of aMap. As a result, aMap and AmapDigital profit centers were merged into one.

[edit] aMap chosen as audience measurement currency by Eurodata TV Worldwide

Each year since 12 years, Eurodata TV Worldwide has been releasing, One Television Year in the World [5] the most comprehensive handbook on TV audience measurement data across the world. Eurodata TV Worldwide is the international data bank of TV programmes and audiences, which now covers over 2000 channels throughout 80 territories and provides an exhaustive amount of daily program information including: content, production, international distribution and the audience levels for targeted programs, all data emanating directly from the relevant authorized institute based in each country around the world. aMap has been awarded the honor of representing India, in the very Bible of television audience measurement. This privilege of being a part of One Television Year in the World symbolizes global acceptance of aMaps audience overnight measurement system and a mark of international appreciation. With this aMaps viewership data will be accessible to advertisers, agencies and broadcasters all over the world and will rub shoulders with some of the best measurement systems globally.[6]

[edit] Connectivity Data

aMap is the only system in India that gathers and disseminates connectivity data on an overnight basis, for 3 different times of the day to ensure accuracy. To aMaps subscribers, data is provided on an overnight basis by market and by band. The bands in which data is disseminated are Prime band, Colour Band, S Band, Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and Hyper Band.[7] It gives the percentage of homes that receive a channel on a particular band.

[edit] Audience Research Laboratory

aMap collaborated with Optimum Media Solutions (OMS)a media agency and Mudra Institute of Communications Ahmedabad (MICA) to set up the aMap OMS Audience Research laboratory at the MICA campus. The laboratory was inaugurated in 2006. The lab is operated under the directions of its advisory council. It works with experts in social sciences, psychology, anthropology, advocacy and market research to bring in different dimensions for exploring audience research data

Founded in 2004, Audience Measurement Analytics Ltd. (aMap) is Indias only and the worlds largest overnight television audience measurement system. With the latest technology and system driven procedures for collecting and disseminating reliable and quality data, aMap's panel of TV viewing households covers towns with 1 Lakh+ population spread all over the country. Markets reported by aMap include those uniquely covered by it such as Jammu, Guwahati, Bihar and Jharkhand. aMap publishes audience measurement data on an overnight basis which is the norm in many countries the world over.

Audience Measurement & Analytics Limited brings to you aMap, the only overnight TV Audience Measurement
System that provides data on multiple dimensions like demographics, ownership, viewership etc. The television advertising industry in India is a complex and dynamic one with media choices increasing everyday. New channels are launched; new genres are established; brands are targeting niche audiences. In this scenario there is a need to find a perfect channel fit for the brand. The financial risks are too high and one needs to take action immediately to make the best of every rupee spent, therefore, the need for an overnight measurement system. The heterogeneity amongst consumers and their diverse spending patterns call for a more robust system for audience measurement on a much larger sample size. aMap addresses these needs through:

Overnight Measurement Customisation of Target Groups A Robust System Decision Support Systems

aMap uses the latest technology and system driven procedures for providing the most reliable and quality data. With aMap, one can check Ratings till Yesterday in TGs like:

Housewives with Washing Machines Chief Wage Earners with PCs Graduates & Post Graduates Businessmen in SEC A, B College Students with Car at Home And many more

For Advertisers

Check Yesterday's ad spot delivery for immediate action Track viewership of spots in core TGs e.g. Housewives with Washing Machines, College Students in SEC ABC etc. Monitor the efficiency of ad spends and take action to avoid overspending or under spending

For Media Planners/Buyers

Make a media plan based on customized TGs specific to your client's brand Identify opportunities immediately by tracking new channels/programs the next day Check audience deliveries for your clients' campaigns immediately and take action Keep daily track of the aired ad spots vis--vis the ad schedule

For Broadcasters

Check yesterday's program performance Track viewership in TGs like Housewives, Chief Wage Earners, and many more Check on any lost business opportunity for Sales by tracking competition & take immediate action Keep daily track of the distribution of your channel

IT ALSO SPEAKS ON YESTERDAY WHO WATCHED WHAT ? The top ten positions occupied by which serials.

Technology --------------------------------

Under a license from Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, aMap collects viewership data using Telecontrol VIII data
collection units sourced from Telecontrol AG, and wireless connections using GSM modems. aMap uses Telecontrol VIII data recording units to collect TV viewership data from TVs in the sample homes. The Telecontrol unit is connected to the television receiver and it automatically registers/stores the information about the channel to which the TV set is currently tuned. This device can store up to approximately seven days viewership information.

A GSM modem is connected to each Telecontrol unit. The central server calls up each of the Telecontrol units in sample
homes to pick up the data stored therein. aMap's technology architecture enables instant data collection from the sample homes as often as desired. It also enables conducting of instant opinion polls about the programs being telecast. The collected data is instantaneously incorporated into the aMap reports. At present the central server calls up all the sample homes between 2:00 AM and 4:00 AM IST (Indian Standard Time) to collect the data. In case the data from some of the homes/ units can not be collected in the first attempt, the server dials that home again after 5 minutes, and makes the third attempt after 1.30 hours. After 3 trials, the server gives up. If noncollection of data is caused by the problems with cellular connection, the data can be collected later at any time over next seven days. The system generates a list of sample homes from which the data could not be collected. These failures are investigated on the same day. The possible causes of failure in data collection are 1. 2. 3. 4. The Telecontrol power failure The Telecontrol unit disconnection/dysfunctionality The sample home being locked The problems with cellular connection etc.

The Telecontrol system can respond to every possible use of a television screen, including viewing videos, playing TV games and using Teletext. Moreover, the design of the Telecontrol unit and its interactive system can be adapted to the psychological requirements of the panel household members, a key reason for its very high degree of acceptance and the widespread willingness to enter information.

Telecontrol system, developed over last 24 years, is being used for TV Audience Measurement in the following
countries: Countries
Austria --------------France ---------------Germany------------Mexico---------------Portugal ------------Puerto Rico -------Switzerland --------Spain ----------------Ukraine --------------

Households 1500 2300 6600 220 550 640 1870 2800 1200

 USA -------------------

200

Decision Support System --------------------------------

Strategy and innovations are two vital instruments for competitive success. Information is the backbone for decisions,
though its full value is realized only when linked to strategy and innovations. Intelligence plays a critical role in this regard. Conceptual knowledge and logic are two ingredients of intelligence. "Intelligent Systems" are created by integrating concepts from quantitative (e.g. mathematics) and qualitative (e.g. ethics) domains with logical frameworks or processes. In this age of information explosion, a plethora of operational level solutions have emerged that support transactions. Competitive strategy however requires linking information with intelligence. aMap, in collaboration with DecisionCraft Analytics Limited, offers Decision Support System development consulting services. These services are powered by DecisionCraft's strong modeling expertise. Some typical areas where intelligent DSS can create significant value are: 1. Revenue management 2. Understanding the drivers of TV

viewership
3. Program scheduling 4. Pricing Solutions 5. Media plan optimization 6. TRP forecasting 7. Media buying

Television audiences are measured in two main ways: using diaries, and using meters. With television (unlike radio), the survey unit has usually been the household, not the person. That's because most households have had only one TV set, and people have usually watched together. In western countries, that's beginning to change, but the mainstay of TV diary or meter results is still the "rating" - the percentage of all households that viewed a particular program.

Measuring TV audiences with diaries

A diary survey is done by choosing a random sample of households, and sending interviewers to visit those households. When a household agrees to co-operate in the survey (with co-operating rates ranging from about 30% of contacted households in rich western countries, up to about 95% in developing countries), the interviewer usually leaves one diary for each TV set in the household. This is different from radio surveys, which use one diary per person - because people usually watch TV in groups. A diary normally runs for one week or two weeks. Often there are several "practice days" at the beginning that are not used to generate statistics. Television diaries are similar to radio diaries. The main difference is that, while there is one radio diary for each person in a household, there is usually one TV diary for each TV set. The idea is that the diary is placed on top of the TV set, stays there for a week, and whoever watches a program on that set fills in the diary to show what channels they watched, at what times. Each double-page opening of the diary usually has a large table. The rows show all the quarter-hours of the day, while there is one column for each TV channel in the survey area. People indicate their viewing by ticking the box for the channel they watched, during each quarter hour. Such a diary doesn't show which people in the household were watching: the tick only means that somebody was watching. Another way of doing this is to enter in the box for the channel and quarter-hour not a tick but a number showing how many people were watching. A still more elaborate way is to write the initial of each viewer in the box. On the front page of the diary is recorded the fact that (say) person A is a man aged 35-44, B is a woman aged 25-34, and so on. Though this sounds simple enough, when I organized this type of diary survey the results were rather messy. People didn't try very hard to co-operate. You can get much more accurate data from telephone (or personal interview) diaries, but people can only remember their viewing for a few days. This is usually a much more expensive way to do a diary survey, but if distances are large and almost everybody has a telephone (as in Australia) it can be suitable for surveys of rural audiences. Obviously it would be very convenient if the program titles could be printed in the diary, as well as the times. In New Zealand, when there were only 2 channels, we experimented

with diaries showing programs as well as times. By comparing data from diaries that showed only times and data from diaries that also listed programs, it was clear that the program-based diary was more accurate. However, we didn't use the program-based diaries after the trial, because of problems of (a) finding out the program times far enough in advance to print and distribute the diaries, and (b) TV channels changing their advertised schedules.

Measuring TV audiences with meters

Unlike a diary survey, where the respondents are different each week (or each two weeks, for a 2-week diary) meter surveys use panels of people for months at a time - anything from 6 months to 2 years. That's because of the expense of installing meters. When a household agrees to co-operate (usually for some reward, such as guaranteed maintenance for their TV set), a technician comes to the home and wires a meter to each TV set. In countries where most homes have a connected telephone, the meter is also connected to the phone line. The meter automatically records the channel the TV set is tuned to, minute by minute. In the early hours of the morning, the research company's computer automatically dials the meter, which sends that household's viewing data for the previous night. This is done in sets of 3 numbers: channel number - starting time - stopping time ...repeated as many times as different channels were switched on. After ringing all the households in the sample (often 300 to 400 per city) the computer has all the previous night's data, and software automatically calculates the percentage of homes watching each channel at each time. Buyers of the diary data - TV channel owners, advertising agencies, and large advertisers - are then sent a fax or email with the previous night's viewing data. That's the simplest version, using "set-meters". But most countries now use "peoplemeters". As well as showing which channels each TV set was tuned to, at which times, the people living in the household are asked to indicate their presence while watching TV. Typically, the peoplemeter sits on top of the TV set. A common type of peoplemeter has 8 lights on its front, numbered 1 to 8. The meter has its own remote control, with 8 buttons, one for each person in the household, and the others for their occasional guests. So when button 1 is pressed, that tells the meter that (say) a man aged between 35 and 44 is watching. Guests are prompted to enter their gender and age group. When the TV set is switched on, all the lights start flashing. A new model flashes up the message "Who is present?" As this is annoying for the viewers, they are likely to press their personal buttons to stop the flashing. When the TV set is on, and nobody has pressed a button for about 45 minutes, all the lights start flashing again. If nobody then presses a

personal button, the meter assumes they're all out of the room, and doesn't record any viewing. But if at least one person presses a button, the meter keeps recording that viewing. Unlike the setmeter, which is completely automatic, the peoplemeter depends on the cooperation of viewers. Do people actually remember to press their buttons, or do they just press any button to stop the lights flashing? To demonstrate to their skeptical customers that peoplemeters give accurate data, the research companies do manual checking - such as by ringing up members of their panel to ask what they are watching at that moment, then comparing the answers with the peoplemeter data. From the figures I've seen, compliance levels are quite good - correct around 90% of the time. The major problem is when people who were watching a program leave the room (e.g. to answer a phone call) and forget to un-press their button. This produces audience figures that are a little too high. The most serious problem with peoplemeters is the representativeness of the panels. Often, less than half the households asked to co-operate actually do so, which raises the question of what is unusual about households that are in the panel. From data I've seen, the wealthier and better-educated households are often under-represented. As such people tend to spend less time watching TV, this also produces a slight overestimate of audience sizes. Though TV stations don't care about that (they like to see large audiences reported), potential advertisers are more skeptical. An emerging problem, in western countries, is what type of viewing is actually counted. There are now many ways to watch a TV programs...

Broadcasts from local channels, received through an aerial. Broadcasts from international channels, from a satellite dish. Viewing a TV program on a computer. Programs that are recorded on videotape or DVD, and viewed later by playing back the recording. The same can be done with a "personal video recorder" or Tivo. With this, you can watch a program in "delayed time" - e.g. watching the first half while the second half is still being broadcast.

Another emerging problem is the very small portable TV sets now becoming popular in countries such as Japan. These cannot be connected to fixed phone lines, and any peoplemeters could be larger than the TV set itself. (This is why peoplemeters are not used for radio.)

All these possibilities make it difficult to record viewing: difficult, both in a technical sense, and in deciding exactly what should count as viewing. The convention is that recorded viewing is counted only if it is played back within one week.

Differences in audiences between diary and meter methods

In Australia in 1991, the diary system was superseded by a meter system. This was an excellent opportunity to find out the problems with diaries. There were several clear differences. Audiences at evening peak times didn't change much, particularly for series programs; they were marginally lower. But audiences in the middle of the day were much higher with meters than with diaries. The reason seemed to be that midday programs were sort of trashy, and perhaps people who were watching TV around midday were ashamed of watching those programs, and didn't want other people in the household to see that viewing in the shared diary. The other change with the introduction of peoplemeters was that late-night programs now had much larger audiences. It seems that when diaries were used, the late-night viewers either forgot to fill them in, or couldn't be bothered.

Measures of TV audiences
From the raw data of the numbers of households or people viewing TV channels, these measures are calculated:

Ratings (of households and/or people) Households Using Television (HUTs) TARPs (Target Audience Rating Points) Reach and frequency Program rankings Audience share

Explaining each of these in turn... Ratings</B< a People ratings are also a percentage, but of people, not households. Unlike radio audience surveys,which don't include children under a certain age (around 10 to 15), TV surveys usually include everybody (except babies). People ratings can also be based on demographic groups: age groups, sexes, occupation types, and so on. HUT (Households Using Television) figures are simply ratings (not people ratings, though) for all channels combined. An HUT figure of 50 means that 50% of households were watching TV in the survey area. This can be either an average across a long time period, or a figure at a particular time. TARPs (Target Audience Rating Points are used mainly by advertisers. They apply moe to commercials than programs.

Reach is the number or percentage of people who see that program or commercial, or watch that channel in a particular time zone. For example, a program might have an average people rating of 10%, but a reach of 20% - which means that 10% of people in the survey area were watching it on average, but across the whole time it was being broadcast, 20% saw some part of it. Divide the people rating by the reach to find out the proportion of the program that the average viewer saw: in that example, it's 10 out of 20, which is half: i.e. the average person who watched the program saw half of it. Frequency also applies to commercials. For example, a common myth (not supported by much empirical data) is that the average frequency for a TV commercial should be 3: in other words, the average person should see the commercial 3 times before rushing off to buy the advertised product. (In fact, people just don't behave like that.) Program rankings are popular with people who don't understand the ratings system (e.g. many journalists). These are often reported in the press, along the lines of "Channel 28 had 6 of the top 10 programs last week". Such figures can be quite misleading. A channel with 6 of the top 10 programs probably had an audience share of around 30%, not the 60% you might assume. That's because in one week a channel might broadcast around 150 programs, and most of the viewing was to the bottom 140, not the top 10. Audience share can be confusing. If a channel has 30% audience share, that doesn't mean that 30% of people watch it. A share figure is a share of person-hours, not of people. A 30% share means that, of every 100 hours that people in the survey area spent watching TV, 30% of those hours were with that channel. So if you add up all the share figures for every channel, the total is always 100%. It's also possible to calculate share figures for specific time periods, but it usually doesn't make sense to calculate shares for an individual program unless all channels in the area have programs starting and finishing at the same time.

Television audience measurement

Basic facts
We offer building and running a system for electronic measurement of television audience. We have all the necessary technological means and know-how for realization of this type of measurement. We own modern technology (TV Meter) and a complex system for data collection, maintenance and processing. Our team includes professionals from the area of statistics, sociology, measuring technologies and IT. The fact that we have been measuring television audience in the Czech Republic since 2002 proves that our solution is successful.

Our technologies
We develop measuring technologies for measuring electronic media (in particular radio and television). We have technology for measuring television household audience, as well as personal mobile measuring technology for measuring TV/radio individual audience.

Parameters

We have been measuring TV audience in the CR since April 29th 2002. Measuring is carried out on a representative sample (panel). From January 1st 2008 the sample was increased from 1,333 households to 1,833 households (c. 4,216 individuals). We guarantee daily supply of data from at least 1,650 households. Measuring includes also large sociological research - Continual Research, which provides continual monitoring of changes in TV population (its television-related behavior, ownership of television and other devices, TV stations available etc.). Outputs are available 10 times per year, yearly sample contains information about 9,000 households. Adequacy of the measured sample from the socio-demographic point of view and from the point of view of TV behavior indicators is inspected daily using data from the CSO (Czech Statistical Office) and results of the Continual Research. We also monitor on daily basis the behavior of the members of panel (households suspected of gross violation of terms are removed from daily data pool and contacted). We measure the audience of all TV channels in the household (via antenna, satellite, cable, IPTV) analog and digital teletext usage, video/DVD usage and usage of other devices connected to television. Daily data are available every morning by 9:00 am (within 3 hours after the end of the previous television day, which is from 6:00 am to 6:00 am). The supplied data contain information about TV audience with an accuracy of 1 second, information about programs, socio-demographic information about households and individuals. Information about individuals are continuously supplemented with information about their lifestyle and consumer behavior from Lifestyle Survey (LSS). The customer in this project and owner of the data is the Association of TV Broadcasters (ATO). Measuring is carried out in cooperation with Elvia, research agency Stem/Mark and software company Lerach (our partners).