Indiantelevision.com Team

(2 June 2007 3:30 pm)

MUMBAI: Radio broadcasters are still not convinced about which of the two methodologies available in India are better to measure listenership.

That found little support from most of the other panelists. Said Asia and Pacific Nielson media director Radio Mark Neely, "The electronic system is used only in Switzerland and Philadelphia. It is not a proven system yet. In the US, the breakfast show of a radio station measured by electronic system revealed a 40 per cent difference in audience (from the diary rating). It is difficult to say which system is more accurate."

Vouching for the diary method in India, Neely pointed out that the recall system was more relevant in markets where there is no competition. "India has too many players and the diary system is more appropriate here."

The concern among other FM broadcasters was to put a measurement system in place that would provide data more frequently. The existing Indian Listenership Track (ILT), backed by MRUC, provides quarterly data.

"We would require weekly data. We can also use it for tweaking our content," said BIG 92.7 FM national marketing head Anand Chakravarthy.

Elaborating on the requirement from an advertiser perspective, ITC Foods media manager Anish Rajgopal said that there is so much of data available in India but the broadcasters and media planners have not been putting it in its proper use.

There was consensus, though, among all the panelists for a measurement system that would provide spread of data. "We currently have a huge amount of data which can be mined to meet our requirements. What we require more than anything else at this stage is to have a wider coverage. We are just talking of providing data from three cities. The primary need is to at least cover 15 top towns," said Pandey.

Another topic that gathered steam was content differentiation. Research was needed to support niche, original and segmented content. Said Tam Media Research CEO LV Krishnan, "Radio will come up with different kinds of genre in its content. The mood of the listener is known only when there is measurement of content. Audience reacts to content and measurement captures this. Research can measure the effects of originality of content."

A radio measurement system would also reflect listenership on mobile devices. Speaking about an electronic system installed in mobile handsets, Krishnan said the software would directly record the number of times a listener tunes in to a particular station and the time he spends on it.

The panel at the India Radio forum was moderated by HANSA Consulting chief executive Praveen Triparthy.