Abu Dhabi, Feb 16th, 2011 (WAM)–The National Media Council (NMC) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) announced today the launch of Phase I of the Television Audience Measurement (TAM) project across the UAE.
Sheikh Hamdan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Public Works and Chairman of the NMC, said the TAM project meets the urgent need for more developed means to measure TV audience and represents a critical step towards greater development of the UAE’s media industry.
“This is a significant and exciting development for the UAE, and will be the first of its kind in the region,” he added.
Sheikh Hamdan explained that the project provides information about TV viewing habits and preferences in the UAE according to age, gender, nationality and other factors.
The objective of this project is to develop a deep and detailed understanding of UAE TV viewership to ensure that the commissioning and development of television programming and television advertising in the UAE are strategic in their design and execution. In addition, the project aims to generate ratings that will be used as a currency of trade for the media industry.
In his comment on this initiative, Mohammed Al Ghanim, Director General, TRA, said: “All viewers will benefit from this statistical project, which aims at enhancing quality level of TV programming and advertising through providing accurate data for producers and advertisers to outline media plans.
An essential part of Phase I of the TAM project is the Establishment Survey and the face-to-face interviewing to provide a sample of household of known characteristics which are used for panel recruitment.
The Dubai-based Kantar Media will conduct the above-mentioned survey, which will provide the Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC) with the social and demographic characteristics of the viewers, type of TV systems available and the local viewing trends. In addition, confidentiality will be taken into consideration, so no information about the participating household will be revealed.
Meanwhile, Ernest & Young have been appointed to audit the project according to the international standards of the TV audience measurement projects.
Seeking to engage all the concerned parties in the project, consultations are underway with advertisers who have agreed to join the project’s Steering Committee and the EMMC’s Board. In this context, a consultative technical team of advertisers’ representatives has been formed for the support and follow up of the project.
The TAM project in the UAE will be operated by Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC), which is owned by Abu Dhabi Media Company, Dubai Media Incorporated, Sharjah Media Corporation, Etisalat, and supported by Du.
It is worth mentioning that TAM systems have proven successful in other countries as they have really added to the volume and value of TV and advertising industry.