Taylor Nelson AGB, the research company which holds the BARB measurement contract, last night launched its new system aimed at monitoring digital TV viewing.
The Television Audience Research Information System (TARiS) is aimed at providing “clients with up-to-date solutions to meet a growing need for digital monitoring.” It will complement the current BARB system to provide what AGB say will be a “complete range of audience measurement systems.” The main feature of TARiS is that it will use picture matching to measure digital TV viewing. As reported on AGB Pioneer Digital TV Monitoring, this uses the technique of recognising a channel by matching the picture being watched in a panel member’s home to the picture being received at a central monitoring office.
Industry figures at the presentation had mixed feelings about the impact of TARiS, with the overall impression being that AGB was attempting to relaunch itself in anticipation of the digital age, rather than presenting something which was new or original. Vivien Marles, head of research at Laser, said that while AGB should be praised for the innovative and stylish launch “the content of the contrived interview with Fiona Armstrong regrettably shed no light on AGB’s future plans.” She went on to say that the presentation revealed nothing which she did not already know.
Hugh Johnson, head of research at Channel 4, said that while TARiS appeared “very interesting” he was keen to see how it would progress in the future. He also believed that AGB was plugging something which already exists.
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