(8 June 2006 7:00 pm)

MUMBAI: As the world starts watching the Fifa World Cup from tomorrow, Initiative will launch its latest ViewerTrack operation for the same with the opening match between Germany and Costa Rica on 9 June.

With the spread of Initiative agencies in more than 50 markets across the network, Initiative Futures, it's global media research arm, will track global TV viewing figures, match-by-match and country-by-country.

Over the course of the tournament, Initiative will collect comprehensive overnight audience data for every match. The data will cover viewing trends for all major demographic groups, split by age, gender and social class. These will inform which matches are most valuable to advertisers and sponsors.

Taking advantage of its experience in tracking the world's major sporting events, such as the Fifa World Cup, European Championships, and the Formula 1 World Championships, Initiative will make comparisons between sports.

Initiative will publish weekly and daily insightful reports on audience levels and trends, and their implications for advertisers and sponsors. The reports will be published on the following dates:

Initiative's daily and weekly reports will complement each other to provide full and comprehensive television viewing analysis throughout the tournament. With overnight data from across the network, the daily reports will provide timely information on recent games.

The weekly reports will then give the agency an opportunity to reflect on data for a number of matches in a broader context.

These daily and weekly reports will cover key issues such as:

• Viewing match of the week - Which match enjoyed the highest average live global audience?
• Viewing country of the week - In which markets were average live audiences highest?
• 2006 vs. 2002 comparison - Which markets saw the greatest change in live audiences compared with World Cup 2002?
• Mover of the week - Which markets saw the greatest change in live audiences throughout the 2006 tournament?