Contracts for media research and a share increase

On February 3, 2011, GfK Ukraine extended the contract with the Television Industry Committee (TIC), the professional association of leading TV stations, media agencies and advertisers, which represents the interests of the TV industry in Ukraine, for measuring TV reach until the end of 2014. The previous contract was due to expire in December 2012.

The Ukraine is currently converting its transmission channels to digital, which should be completed by 2015. In order to determine what effects this will have on the behavior of consumers, it was important for the TIC to guarantee the continuity of data collection.

GfK Ukraine collected audience ratings in cities with more than 50 000 inhabitants between 2002 and 2007. Since 2008, it has expanded this to cover TV viewing across the whole country. Overall, 17 million Ukrainian households with a total of 44 million viewers over the age of four own a TV set. For the TV panel, 2 500 representatively selected households comprising 6 300 individuals report on the programs they are viewing on a daily basis. The audience measurement is carried out using Telecontrol VIII, a technology developed by the Swiss subsidiary GfK Telecontrol.

GfK Audimetrie

In Belgium, GfK has again won the contract to measure the reach of all the country's 150 radio stations. The contract will run from January 2011 to December 2013. The Joint Industry Committee CIM, the federation of the most important radio stations in the country, has awarded the contract to GfK Audimetrie for the second time in a row since 2005.

GfK questions a total of 24 000 individuals per year in three waves. This is the largest survey of its kind in Belgium. Following a face-to-face interview, the respondents keep a written or online diary for seven days, in which they enter precise details of which station they have listened to, when and for how long.

GfK Audimetrie has had the contract for measuring TV audiences since 1997. It operates two TV panels - one in the French-speaking part and one in the Flemish-speaking part - and supplies the market with the audience ratings for the previous day every day. The Northern and Southern panels each comprise 750 households and together they represent 10 million inhabitants over the age of four. GfK Audimetrie is the only company collecting audience ratings for radio and TV in Belgium.

GfK Skopje

At the beginning of March, the GfK Group increased its stake in GfK Skopje from 51% to 100%. The Macedonian company operates in the Custom Research sector and employs 14 members of staff. It clients include Deutsche Telecom, The Coca Cola Company, Pivara Skopje (Heineken Group), Imperial Tobacco and Nestle. Vesna Kuzmanovic will remain Managing Director.

The market research company, which was established in 2000, offers its clients studies in the areas of financial market research, telecommunications, consumer goods, retail, media and health research. Its portfolio also includes qualitative surveys such as focus groups, in-depth interviews or ethnographic research. GfK Skopje is the market leader in Macedonia and Kosovo.