Portable radio meters – Further investment but little progress yet

For a conference that in previous years was dominated – some might say obsessed – with portable measurement systems for the industry, this year’s ASI European Radio Symposium reflected the fact that – so far at least – take up of these devices has been very limited.

Of the six players in the market, Arbitron has made most inroads with 38 US markets but the industry has not yet given most of these formal research accreditation. A number of these handle radio plus TV research and some are in partnership with TNS.

Elsewhere GFK, which was first to the market in Switzerland, has added Liechtenstien and Cyprus, and Eurisko manages radio and TV as part of a multimedia system in Italy. IMM Nielsen and IPSOS are still investing and IPSOS expects to create a UK real world panel in Q2 next year.

Sally de la Bedoyere, MD of RAJAR, reflected on many trials but no technology that was deemed robust enough. Now RAJAR is switching its attention to an Online|Diary mix from 2011 and hoping that this may also help to solve the sampling problems inherent in much research now – encouraging 15-24 survey completion.

The new digital footprint from Digital Britain – if it goes ahead – would also make life easier for RAJAR and create non-overlap sampling areas.

Two further points arising from Sally’s address for future reference; A need to look at listening to mobile phones and to grab data on podcast listening not download – 40% who download podcasts say they don’t listen to them all.