Boston, 16 June 1999

1. Translations and Printing

Copies of the definitive published guidelines in English were distributed to members at the meeting.

Peter Menneer reported that a translation into Korean had already been completed by KOBACO, the sales house for all TV and radio in Korea, and had been checked by Taylor Nelson Sofres. KOBACO were bearing the printing costs and making a royalty payment to the EBU as publisher.

As regards the "global" languages, the translation into Spanish was complete through the good offices of the Spanish JIC organisation, AIMC, represented at the meeting by Carlos Lamas. Dieter Müller reported that the German translation was in progress. [After the meeting] it was established from Hugues Chavenon (CESP) that the French translation would be completed in early September.
Dieter Müller/ Hugues Chavenon

It was noted, as earlier agreed, that the global language translations of GGTAM will have the same printing and pricing arrangements as the original in English. The EBU will be bearing the costs of the printing and be receiving the sales revenue.

 

 

1. Pricing and Discount Arrangements

• To adopt the quantity discounts proposed by the EBU Publications Department:

• That these discounts will apply to both member organisations of the ARM Group and to all other purchasers.
• That ARM Group organisations will, however, receive 5 complimentary copies – as will the organisations that have kindly undertaken translations into the global languages.
• That ARM Group organisations should determine their own pricing arrangements for the initial distribution of GGTAM to their members: whether free, at the quantity discount price, or full cover price.
• That copies subsequently purchased "from their shelves" should be sold at the full cover price.

1. Minutes of Working Group Meeting

(Amsterdam, 29 March 1999)

The Minutes of the Working Group meeting held in Amsterdam in March, to prepare for the Plenary Meeting, were approved.

1. Objectives and Strategies

1. To contribute to the improvement of measurement methods and to update the harmonisation guidelines as and when required.
2. To collect and disseminate facts and figures about the impact of advanced media on research methodology.
3. To exchange information on the performance of existing and prospective measurement systems, as well as the organisation of audience measurement procedures.
4. To discuss all relevant methodological and practical aspects of radio and TV research with interested parties, including public service and private broadcasters, advertising agencies, advertisers, data suppliers and national controlling bodies.
5. To assist the setting up and development of audience measurement in different countries."

Debate of the proposals tabled for discussion at the meeting followed the order of the summary attached to the agenda:

6. GGTAM

• A press release, announcing the publication of GGTAM
• Review copies

1. Improvement (ARF, GEAR)

It was of particular importance to ARF, Gabe Samuels reported, that the Group should have a plan of progressive future development of the international Guidelines, publishing new and improved editions of GGTAM. An agenda item therefore for the next plenary meeting could be to discuss and agree the specific methodological issues for which improvements in the text of the Guidelines should be a priority.

1. Updating (ARF, ESOMAR)

It was AGREED that future editions of GGTAM will need to reflect and address the research challenges posed by developments in broadcasting – including digital TV, further fragmentation in TV audiences arising from channel proliferation and the convergence of broadcasting and telecommunications. The present GGTAM text does not address a number of key research issues that will arise from technological change – and are already needing to be tackled in some countries (e.g. the UK).

1. Evaluation (ARF)

• How widely, and where, will it be distributed?
• Where and on what particular issues, is GGTAM found to be particularly helpful to local markets?
• On what technical issues are the Guidelines less satisfactory to users?
• To what extent are the good practices recommend in the Guidelines being observed in current contracts across local markets?
• To what extent are the Guidelines being deployed to improve the service being received for subsequent contractual periods – whether the organisational structure is a research company’s Own Service (OS) a Media Owner Committee (MOC) or a Joint Industry Committee (JIC)?

• Establish the names and addresses of recipients of GGTAM receiving their copies via bulk orders, whether from ARM Group member organisations or any other EBU bulk order customer in the months and years to come.
• Act as a repository for comments, criticisms, suggestions for the textual revisions and improvements. Peter Menneer

1. Radio Research Methods

It was AGREED that the 1997 ARM Group Guidelines, "Towards Harmonization of Radio Audience Measurement Systems", should be reviewed. At what point would it be a priority for the Group that this should also be improved or updated? Peter Menneer will arrange for a copy to be sent to both Barry Kiefl and Tony Twyman.

Peter Menneer

2. Television Audience Currency Comparisons (EGTA)

Dieter Müller reported that an EGTA priority was to be able to compare TV channel performance measures (e.g. GRPs) between markets. Definitions of viewing, calculation of commercial ratings and minimum age for the adults universe can vary between markets. Similarly some countries include guest viewing and time shift audiences in their viewing data, and some do not. Until such time as there is consistency in such critical definitions, it would be useful for each country’s conventions to be available and published in a comparative form – on a global basis. Such a compendium, which would need to be kept up to date, would in principle be a useful appendix for a future edition of GGTAM.

Jane Perry drew attention to the NTC/Syfret joint venture that NTC would be publishing. This was essentially an update of the 1993 EAAA/Syfret exercise. This had involved establishing, and publishing comparatively, the methodological details of each peoplemeter system across the countries of Europe: both hardware, software and data access arrangements.

The EGTA ambition was for the industry, through the ARM Group for example, to arrive at adjustment factors for each country’s CPTs to take account of such differences in national data collection and reporting conventions. It would then be possible to compare like with like – on a CPT-adjusted basis.

3. Imminent National Contract Renewals (EAAA)

Jane Perry reminded members of the useful role that the Group traditionally had fulfilled in drawing attention to the contractual cycles of the national audience measurement systems (principally the JIC and MOC countries) across Europe. GEAR was the main source of this information. This could usefully be taken up again on a global basis. The information helped to identify the right time for the Group to take an initiative in countries whose audience measurement systems were generally accepted to need enhancement or improvement.

Wim Bekkers, on behalf of GEAR, UNDERTOOK to gather this information for Europe as a first step, and make it available to the Group. Wim Bekkers

4. Global Broadcasting Media Survey (CARF)

Barry Kiefl proposed that the Group should co-ordinate and publish, again ideally on a global basis, the basic facts about the TV and Radio markets in each country: e.g. VCR penetration, multi-set penetration, satellite channel penetration etc. The traditional model for such an exercise in Europe has been the ORF/GEAR Euro-Factsheets, the coverage of which Barry UNDERTOOK to comment on.

Barry Kiefl

Wim Bekkers reported that GEAR had plans to extend the scope of the Euro-Factsheets, but this had yet to be implemented. It was noted that if the ARM Group were to undertake and publish Global Factsheets, this would be an entirely new role for the Group. Hitherto it had concentrated on audience measurement methodologies.

Heikki Kasari drew attention to YLE’s recently published "Summary of 1998 Audience Research", a copy of which he UNDERTOOK to send to members. It was a model perhaps in presentational style: glossy, non-technical and succinct.

Heikki Kasari

 

5. Pan-Electronic Media Measurement (ARF, CARF, EAAA, EBU, EGTA, ESOMAR, GEAR, WFA)

It was AGREED that the issue of convergence and competing platforms would certainly be a high priority to be addressed by the Group in the years to come, and that an objective of the next meeting should be to determine a specific project in this area. Gabe Samuels suggested that "scenario planning" might be an appropriate approach, and UNDERTOOK to prepare a first draft of such a proposal.

Gabe Samuels

6. Digital Broadcasting (EBU)

• The implications of digital broadcasting for the viewer or listener, and hence upon viewing and listening behaviour.
• To what extent the traditional concept of a "channel" may in the longer term be eroded – an issue also raised by GEAR.
• The prospects of the competing transmission systems: cable, satellite and terrestrial – and how their relative significance will differ between countries.
• The implications of digital broadcasting upon commercial communication – a major issue too for WFA.
• The implications for the audience research budgets of broadcasting organisations – and specifically upon the cost of audience measurement.

1. Time Budget Studies (EBU)

• The impact of new media upon leisure time, and (from the perspective of WFA) upon access to commercial communication.
• Time budget data as tools for forecasting.

1. Education and Promotional Activities to Improve the Use and Understanding of Audience Research (EAAA, GEAR)

It was noted that this purpose was an explicit function for the Group identified in its Mission Statement.

2. ARM Group as a Dispute Arbitration Panel (EAAA)

1. the decision process is quite obscure and EBU (SIS) is not in the position of being accountable for EBU members’ current needs;
2. the new Activity Plan and its objectives need some substantial funding and EBU can no longer be the only supporting organisation.