TNS wins contract for radio audience measurement

TNS will be working closely with Kantar Media on this programme and Jennie Beck, Global Director of TNS/Kantar Media, will be based in Johannesburg during the set-up and first year of the service. She said, "This is a first for South Africa - a focussed and custom-designed radio currency and all of our global experience in audience measurement will be brought to bear on this programme. I am really looking forward to being very closely involved in the roll-out and delivery of the new currency."

The five-year contract was signed with the Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) on Friday, 12 June. Clare O'Neil, Interim CEO of the BRC, stated that "this is the culmination of a tough but very transparent and fair process and we look forward to working with TNS to deliver this new service."

Richard Rice of TNS welcomed the news. "We will bring all of the very best that TNS has to offer in the execution of the programme," states Rice. "We understand too, that the broadcasters are not only looking for a reliable currency but for a deeper understanding of how listening habits are changing and we look forward to providing the broadcasters with this additional layer of insights to add value to the currency."

About TNS

TNS advises clients on specific growth strategies around new market entry, innovation, brand switching and stakeholder management, based on long-established expertise and market-leading solutions. With a presence in over 80 countries, TNS has more conversations with the world's consumers than anyone else and understands individual human behaviours and attitudes across every cultural, economic and political region of the world. TNS is part of Kantar, one of the world's largest insight, information and consultancy groups. Please visit www.tnsglobal.com for more information.

About Kantar

Media Kantar Media provides critical information that helps our clients make better decisions about communications. We enable the world's leading brands, publishers, agencies and industry bodies to navigate and succeed in a rapidly evolving media industry. Our services and data include analysis of paid media opportunities; counsel on brand reputation, corporate management and consumer engagement through owned media; and evaluating consumers' reactions in earned media. As the global house of expertise in media and marketing information, Kantar Media provides clients with a broad range of insights, from audience research, competitive intelligence, vital consumer behaviour and digital insights, marketing and advertising effectiveness to social media monitoring. Our experts currently work with 22,000 companies tracking over 4 million brands in 50 countries. For more information, please visit http://www.kantarmedia.com.