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South Africa’s Broadcast Research Council (BRC) has confirmed it will undertake a comprehensive update of its TV and radio audience measurement programmes following an independent review that revealed the weighting of the last Television Establishment Survey (TV ES) was too inefficient.
This has led to suggestions that it should not be included in the Television Audience Measurement Survey (Tams).
This comes after broadcasters expressed concerns over the recently released TVES results.
In response, the BRC commissioned 3M3A to conduct an independent review.
“The Tams group has demonstrated good sensitivity to market changes over the years,” said BRC chief executive Gary Whitaker.
“Building on this, we will conduct a longitudinal analysis of viewership data from 2019 to 2024, focusing on both unweighted and weighted metrics. This will help us predict trends and understand the impact of weighting on results.”
Coordinating Tam and Ram
The BRC will also explore how to better coordinate Tams and the Radio Audience Measurement Survey (Rams), ensuring that population sizes and demographic analysis are consistent across both currencies.
“Collaboration and transparency are key to the success of our audience measurement program,” added Whittaker.
“We will work closely with broadcasters, advertisers and other stakeholders to update the TV landscape in a phased manner, including re-weighting the 2023 Establishment Survey (ES) and commissioning a new, comprehensive ES that serves TV and radio audiences.”
Enhanced ram
The release of Rams Amplify’s first quarter 2024 data has been delayed due to concerns raised by the Radio Research Council (RRC), particularly radio listening data for the past seven days (P7D), which has been slowly but steadily declining over the past few years.
“We take these issues very seriously and have formed a technical subcommittee to identify areas where Rams Amplify needs improvement,” Whittaker said.
“The subcommittee will work closely with Ipsos to answer questions and provide an action plan to ensure the data can be released with confidence.”
The BRC analysis carried out by 3M3A found no issues with the samples or weightings in the March 2024 dataset, suggesting that overall radio listening is gradually declining.
However, the analysis also highlights some interesting trends, such as the impact of youth boosters and high-income/online boosters.
“We will be monitoring these trends closely and exploring the potential need for more qualitative research to better understand how consumers engage with broadcasting,” Whittaker noted.
“Our goal is to ensure Rams Amplify remains a reliable and responsive currency that reflects South Africans’ changing listening habits.”
Prepare for the future
As BRC nears completion of the Rams Amplify Ipsos contract in January 2026, the organization is taking proactive steps to ensure a smooth transition to a new currency or enhanced version of an existing currency.
“We cannot rely on a 24-month rolling data set, which could result in longer data release times,” Whittaker said.
“To avoid the pitfalls encountered during and after the Covid-19 pandemic, we will launch a request for proposal (RFP) process in 2024 to explore various options and scenarios.”
The BRC is also exploring opportunities for greater collaboration between TV and broadcast companies, with the goal of ensuring the future-proofing of audience measurement systems and achieving economies of scale.
Whittaker explained: “Jointly funded research, such as ES, and potentially combining budgets to develop an audiovisual currency covering both traditional and digital broadcast media will be key considerations during the RFP process.”
Investing in industry education
Recognising the rapidly evolving media landscape and the need for a comprehensive understanding of audience measurement, the BRC is committed to upskilling the industry through dedicated educational programmes.
“Our currencies are under scrutiny, and rightly so, to ensure they are up to date with the new realities we face,” Whittaker said.
“The challenge ahead is to provide audiences with a comprehensive perspective and we are committed to providing the industry with the knowledge and tools to navigate this ever-changing landscape.”
BRC’s educational program will include a BRC certification program covering Tams, Rams, Agency Survey, Log Verification, Universe Update, Fusion and more.
In addition, the organization will provide short audio-visual educational content to engage and inform the industry.
Whittaker added: “We believe that a clear delineation of the education sector is a common feature of successful Joint Industry Committees (JICs) around the world.”
“By investing in industry education, we can empower stakeholders to make informed decisions and get the most out of our audience measurement tools.”
Dedicated to the media industry
The BRC is steadfast in its commitment to advancing the South African media industry through collaborative, transparent and future-oriented initiatives.
“Our global reputation for excellence is built on deep industry collaboration and we are committed to maintaining that tradition,” Whittaker said.
“By working closely with all stakeholders, we will ensure that our audience measurement system continues to provide valid, reliable and stable data, underpinning the success of the South African media industry.”
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