MAAT going ahead with new TV ratings system
THE MEDIA Agency Association of Thailand (MAAT) will continue to set up a national provider of multi-platform television-audience ratings although market leader Channel 7 appears intent on sticking with the incumbent Nielsen (Thailand).
The deadline for applications for MAAT’s new multi-platform audience-ratings system was last week, and Bangkok Broadcasting and Television (BBTV), the operator of Channel 7, was not on the list of would-be subscribers collected by the association’s Media Research Bureau (MRB).
“With great support from |the majority of TV broadcasters |and leading media agencies, |we have strong confidence in |building a new system of TV |ratings and multi-platform |audience measurement which will lift up our industry’s standard,” MAAT chairwoman Wannee Ruttanaphon said.
She said 22 analog and digital free-TV operators, 47 satellite and cable TV operators, and 25 media agencies had confirmed their intention to become subscribers to the new rating system.
The free-TV operators that applied were Channel 3, 3SD, 3 Family, Workpoint TV, Channel 8, Mono 29, One, GMM 25, MCOT HD, MCOT Family, Springnews TV, Nation TV, Now 26, Voice TV, New TV, TV5, Thairath TV, PPTV, True4U, TNN 24, Amarin TV and Bright TV.
New audience measuring system
“We acknowledge that those free-TV operators are very im-|portant in terms of financial support for this new ratings system because most advertising spending is via those TV channels,” Wannee said.
Of an estimated Bt1.5-billion in investment over the next six years for the establishment and management of the new audience-measurement system, more than half |will be contributed by the free-TV channels.
It is believed that each free-channel operator will have to pay between Bt9 million and Bt10 million a year in subscription fees to the MRB.
Wannee said the fee might be reduced if the MRB obtains more subscribers. The MAAT is in talks with Thaicom and Google in this regard.
“We will also discuss with Takorn Tantasith, secretary-general of |the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, the possibility of financial sup-|port in this ongoing process, |which is considered a key part of broadcasting development,” she said.
“If the NBTC grants at least Bt400 million for this project, |the subscription fees for TV broadcasters could be reduced by 20 per cent.”
The MAAT’s new ratings system appears to be a challenge to Nielsen, which has monopolised the Thai audience-measuring market for over two decades.
The association teamed up with a number of TV broadcasters to set up the MRB to select a new system. Nielsen opted to stay out of the selection process, which began in March, and then became very active in engaging with the media industry.
Though UK-based Kantar Media was reportedly named as |the winner of the contract for the new system, the official appointment has been delayed till late August from the first week of this month.
