Nielsen gets TAMS contract

The SAARF board has announced the new TAMS contract, which runs until March 2018, has been awarded to AGB Nielsen Media Research (AGB NMR), subject to a suitable agreement being negotiated and subject to LCA funding approval.

If approved for funding by the LCA, the new contract will measure time-shifted and DTT viewing, in addition to the viewing currently measured by the existing TAMS panel. The flexible new technology that will be introduced is also largely future-proof and should be able to measure television viewing on a multitude of devices.

The choice to appoint the research company as the contractor will ensure significant cost-savings, since the current panel and meters can be re-used. Only those households, which are technologically advanced, will require the new Unitam meter, which can measure PVR and can easily be adapted to tackle any future TV developments.

SAARF's CEO, Dr Paul Haupt, said that four international research companies tendered for the contract. The tender committee decision was based on fact that the research company has knowledge of the local television environment, offers technological solutions at a good price and has a triple-A BBBEE rating.