New Audience Measurement Technology Testing Enters Next Phase

Arbitron, the company which has been developing a new measurement device for radio and television audiences, has announced that pilot tests of the device have ‘exceeded its expectations’, and achieved all of its objectives in evaluation.

The pilot tests for the device, which is a person portable meter (PPM) the size of a pager, began towards the end of last year (see Newsline) and Arbitron has spent £10 million developing the new meter technology over the past six years.

Due to the success of the test trials, Arbitron – the media research firm and supplier of radio audience measurement in the US – plans to launch a more extensive test involving a much larger sample.

The next phase will track the radio listening and television viewing of 300 people living in the Manchester area across a 5 month period, whereas the initial test was conducted amongst 50 people over a 9-week period. New broadcasters taking part in the Manchester 300 test are Channel 5, Sky 1 and Century 105.

Jay Guyther, Arbitron’s vice-president, commented: “It’s time for Arbitron and the industry to evaluate the wealth of information provided by an electronic audience measurement system that’s easy for customers to use and that reliably tracks, in and out of the home, their exposure to broadcast media.”

Arbitron: 0171 490 5944