The Portable People Meter Getting Ready for Prime Time Results from the U.K. Field Test

transcript

The Portable People MeterThe Portable People MeterGetting Ready for Prime TimeGetting Ready for Prime Time

Results from the U.K. Field Test Status of the U.S. Test Market

The TVB Research Conference

October 25, 2000

Bob Patchen

VP, Research Standards & Practices

The Arbitron Company

Agenda

Background

- Why a Portable People Meter?- Research Design for the U.K. Test

Results from the U.K. PPM Test

- Panel Cooperation and Compliance- Media Exposure Data

The U.S. Test Panel

- Current Status- Analysis and Reporting Plans

How will we survive the coming explosion in media choices?

The complex multimedia landscape of the 21st century promises new opportunities, and new challenges, for advertisers, agencies and broadcasters.

Audience researchers must provide viable new solutions for tracking and understanding consumers’ multimedia behaviors, or risk becoming irrelevant.

One promising solution:The Portable People Meter (PPM)

Why a Portable People Meter?

Simple and appealing for consumers Single-source multimedia measurement Bigger samples Passive detection of exposure Each source uniquely identified All modes of electronic delivery In-home and out-of-home exposure

Measures the person, not the appliance . . .

The Large-Scale U.K.Test

Follow-up to successful 1998 pilot July, 1999 through April, 2000 Purpose:

- Extended test of system

technology

- Extended test of panelist

compliance

- First look at audience data

Test Design

Manchester, England 300 persons age 6 and older Broadcast signals encoded:

- AM, FM, & Long Wave radio

- National and Local Broadcasting

- Terrestrial TV

- Satellite & Cable

- Analog & Digital

- Internet Radio

Participating Broadcasters

RadioRadio• Key 103• Century 105• Magic 1152• Galaxy 102• Classic FM• Jazz FM 100.4• Atlantic 252• Talk Radio UK• BBC GMR• Radio City 96.7• Virgin (Internet also)

TelevisionTelevision• BBC 1• BBC 2• Granada (ITV)• Channel 4• Channel 5• B-Sky-B (Sky One)• Carlton (Food Network)

Technology Findings

Encoders

- Widely accepted by broadcasters

- Over 200,000 hours of reliable operation

- Manufacturing defect found & resolved

Household Components

- Easy, quick installation

- Reliable docking & motion detection

- Successful data communication

Panel Cooperation and Panel Cooperation and ComplianceCompliance

Sampling & Recruitment

Random telephone enumeration survey “Recruits” sampled from stratified frame Mail and telephone recruitment Recruitment cooperation rate = 44% In-person installation by interviewers 300 persons age 6+ in 140 households

Installed panel in-line with universe

The installed panel percents were close to the universe on all 7 control variables:

Household size Presence of children Age of head-of-household Employment status of head-of-household Number of TV sets Cable/satellite status Social class

Three Simple Rules

Keep your meter with you

Keep the green light on

Recharge your meter at bedtime

Note: PPM worksto detect codeseven when docked

Undocking and docking times

7:397:39AMAM

11:0611:06PMPM

UndockUndock

DockDock

WeekdayWeekday WeekendWeekend

9:099:09AMAM

11:2511:25PMPM

Median times, November, 1999

Time out of the dock

Median

Meters

Undocked Per Day

Meters were undocked nearly all day

Time in motion

Median

Meters

Undocked Per Day

Meters were undocked nearly all day

Median

Meters

Worn Each

Meters were worn almost all the time

Men and women complied equally well with the PPM tasks

14:59 14:4714:26 14:03

Men Women

Median Hrs Undocked Median Hrs Worn

Compliance was generally good across all age groups

6-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+

Compliance was consistent across social class categories

AB C1 C2 DE

Detecting Media Exposure

All encoded stations detected by panel 1.5 million codes detected per week (total) 36,000 media events per week (total) About 120 events per person, per week Daily reports of listening and viewing

8:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 0:00

GalaxyJazz FM

Classic

KeyMagic

BBC TV1

BBC TV2ITV

Chan 4

Chan 5

Example: Male, age 51, 8A-Mid., Nov. 25 ‘99

A day in the life of a personal meter

Radio TV

A month in the life of a personal meter

M W F M W F M W F M W F

Example: Female, age 45, Nov. ‘99

The power of multi-media ratings

Radio station campaign on local ITV 29 spots aired September 8-18, 1999 What % of total panelists were exposed to at

least one spot on ITV? What % of those exposed listened to the

radio station the next day? What % were exposed, listened the next

day, and were new or infrequent listeners?

In other words . . . did it work?

What % of total panelists saw the radio station spot on TV?

Over half saw the radio spots

Total panelists

Exposed to spot

Of those who saw the spots, who listened the next day?

One in four listened

Listened to radio station

Listened to radio station next morning

What % were new or infrequent listeners?

Over a third who listened were new

New or infrequentlisteners

Television Viewing Comparisons

PPM vs. BARB set-top people meters Hourly AQH persons ratings (6AM-6AM) AQH defined at “average minute” level Encoded commercial channels only Total persons age 6+ November 1999 Weekdays, weekends

Weekday Hour

BARB Commercial TV PPM Commercial TV

PPM vs. Set-Top People Meters:Monday-Friday

PPM vs. Set-Top People Meters:Saturday-Sunday

Weekend Hour

BARB Commercial TV PPM Commercial TV

Overall Conclusions from U.K. Test

The PPM technology worked well Panelists cooperated with the PPM tasks PPM ratings effects need further study Overall results are very encouraging and

support taking the next research step U.S. test is needed to confirm and expand

upon U.K. findings

U.S. test market now underway

Philadelphia DMA 75 encoded Radio, TV, Cable channels Representative, projectable consumer panel Comprehensive systems and methods test

Implementation in two stages

Stage One Wilmington Radio Metro (in Phil. DMA) 300 persons age 6 and older “Total market” ratings only Results early in 2001

Stage Two Expand panel to cover Philadelphia DMA Bigger sample, more detailed ratings Results early in 2002

Stage One: Progress to Date

Media Participation All 38 invited radio stations All 8 local TV stations Top 25 cable services & networks

Fieldwork 1,400 Hh enumeration survey completed Meter installation to start later this year Encoder installation is already underway

“On the air” as of October 12, 2000

32 radio stations 2 television stations 7 cable services and networks

Initial reports planned for U.S. test

Technical quality measures Meters detecting encoded stations? Meters reporting properly each day? Appropriate editing & crediting rules?

Panel Quality Measures Sample representativeness Recruitment cooperation rates Meter undocking and docking times Hours worn per day

Next stage: ratings comparisons

Prerequisite: satisfaction with panel quality and cooperation

Total market audience ratings Radio compared to Arbitron data TV, Cable compared to NMR data By demo and daypart AQH and cume persons ratings Time spent viewing & listening

Stay tuned!

Thank you!

The Portable People Meter Getting Ready for Prime Time Results from the U.K. Field Test

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