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
14:52
Median
Hours
Meters
Were
Undocked Per Day
Meters were undocked nearly all day
Time in motion
14:52
Median
Hours
Meters
Were
Undocked Per Day
Meters were undocked nearly all day
14:15
Median
Hours
Meters
Were
Worn Each
Day
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
12:29
13:36
14:18
15:09
15:25
15:37
10:49
12:34
13:21
14:13
14:37
14:58
15:21
15:05
6-15 16-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65+
Median Hrs Undocked Median Hrs Worn
Compliance was consistent across social class categories
15:02
14:46
14:59
13:56
14:09
14:29
14:19
14:49
AB C1 C2 DE
Median Hrs Undocked Median Hrs Worn
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
20
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
8:00 10:00 12:00 14:00 16:00 18:00 20:00 22:00 0:00
Time
GalaxyJazz FM
Classic
KeyMagic
Talk
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
.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
1/01
/199
911
/02/
1999
11/0
3/19
9911
/04/
1999
11/0
5/19
9911
/06/
1999
1/07
/199
911
/08/
1999
11/0
9/19
9911
/10/
1999
11/1
1/19
9911
/12/
1999
11/1
3/19
9911
/14/
1999
11/1
5/19
9911
/16/
1999
11/1
7/19
9911
/18/
1999
11/1
9/19
9911
/20/
1999
11/2
1/19
9911
/22/
1999
11/2
3/19
9911
/24/
1999
11/2
5/19
9911
/26/
1999
11/2
7/19
99
Ho
urs
of
med
ia e
xpo
sure
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
51%
Exposed to spot
Exposed to spot
Of those who saw the spots, who listened the next day?
One in four listened
24%
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
38%
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
0
5
10
15
20
25
306
00
70
0
80
0
90
0
10
00
11
00
12
00
13
00
14
00
15
00
16
00
17
00
18
00
19
00
20
00
21
00
22
00
23
00
24
00
10
0
20
0
30
0
40
0
50
0
Weekday Hour
AQ
H R
ati
ng
BARB Commercial TV PPM Commercial TV
PPM vs. Set-Top People Meters:Monday-Friday
PPM vs. Set-Top People Meters:Saturday-Sunday
0
5
10
15
20
25
306
00
70
0
80
0
90
0
10
00
11
00
12
00
13
00
14
00
15
00
16
00
17
00
18
00
19
00
20
00
21
00
22
00
23
00
24
00
10
0
20
0
30
0
40
0
50
0
Weekend Hour
AQ
H R
ati
ng
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
27
U.S. test market now underway
Philadelphia DMA 75 encoded Radio, TV, Cable channels Representative, projectable consumer panel Comprehensive systems and methods test
28
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
28
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
28
“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!
