BARB Launches Lifestyle Survey To Enrich Ratings Data
The Broadcasters Audience Research Board has announced a new tier to its data, with the creation of a new Lifestyle Insights survey to provide more information about viewers to advertisers and broadcasters.
The new survey will add hundreds of additional characteristics about the behaviour, spending and lifestyle of its viewing panel to BARB’s existing data, enabling TV panel viewing data to be analysed against information about leisure time, travel, car ownership, home and shopping and other media consumption.
Amongst the benefits offered by the new survey is the ability to target TV campaigns at more tightly focused groups. BARB also promises better understanding of viewer behaviour and motivations, as well as adding knowledge of who are the key viewers of channels, programmes, and commercials.
Commenting on the new research, BARB’s chief executive Bjarne Thelin, said: “We expect this service to be of high value across the media industry – from advertisers and agencies to broadcasters and programme makers. At a time when there is an increasing call for cross-media understanding, the additional panel classifications of Lifestyle Insights will also add to the available information.”
The survey has been commissioned by BARB for a two year period, with initial results expected to be available by the end of the year. Amongst the audience groups identified by the new data will be high spenders on gardening, high spenders on DIY, cinemagoers, regular wine drinkers, car drivers (including which type of car), late-home workers, frequent air travellers, digital camera owners and newspaper readers categorised by major title.
BARB claims that the additional panel classifications will enable viewing analysis for groups of people with similar interests, media choices or spending patterns. Viewing patterns across the day, key programmes, and other viewing attributes will also be easily identified.
Earlier this month Mick Mernagh, director of consumer insight at MediaCom, warned delegates at this year’s Edinburgh International Television Festival that audience measurement surveys are in serious danger of becoming outdated unless they begin working together to address the increasingly important issue of media convergence (see Audience Measurement Must Keep Up With Convergence).
BARB: www.barb.co.uk
Recent Television Stories from NewsLine ITV Reveals Plans To Launch Range Of New Channels Mind-Numbing Reality Television Comes Under Fire Channel 4 Confirms Intention To Link With BBC
Subscribers can access ten years of media news and analysis in the Archive