Telecontrol http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/ telecontrol en Telecontrol http://www.telecontrol.ch/fileadmin/tt_news_article.gif http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/ telecontrol TYPO3 - get.content.right http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0200 USX – the new Internet Meter from GfK Telecontrol AG http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/usx-the-new-internet-meter-from-gfk-telecontrol-ag.html Video- and audio streaming on computers is, for existing measurement instruments, difficult to... The largest part of classical electronic media is still consumed via TV or radio. However, the content available on the Internet has increased dramatically over the last few years. Whilst ten years ago audio- and video streaming was only at the beginning of its development, today, nearly every broadcaster offers its own programmes as live stream as well as certain broadcasts as video-on-demand or podcasts.

Although, the usage figures are still relatively small in comparison to the classical TV usage, more and more consumers get a taste for this kind of media distribution. For example, in 2008 web-TV usage was reported by 12% of the inhabitants (age 15+ years) of the German speaking part of Switzerland. In 2009 this number increased to 16% although, most of them (9%) admitted to use this platform less than once a week (comp. KommTech Study 2009 and 2010, Publica Data AG).

From a research point of view, the question arises, how this content can be captured adequately. TV content is mostly measured with fixmeters, which are coupled to the TV set in private households. Computers are usually not connected to the fixmeter and therefore their content not incorporated. Furthermore, media players and the multiple of Internet browsers available create another challenge for electronic measurement.

GfK Telecontrol AG has taken on this challenge and developed a new measurement device, the Internet meter USX. It can be used together with the fixmeter UMX – forming part of the Universal Meter System (UMS) – or as a standalone system.

USX is a miniature measurement device in form of a USB-memory stick, as commonly available. With this design, GfK Telecontrol AG remains true to its philosophy that an electronic measurement device has to fit into everyday life (cf. Mediawatch). As experience has shown, even the most technically advanced measurement device is useless when the panelist does not accept it.

USX does not only reliably and down to the second measure media consumption on the computer but also offers all common functions of a USB-memory stick with variably pre-defined storage capacity. Furthermore, the usage of USX is exceedingly simple: the panelist simply has to plug the USX device into a free USB port on his computer and USX immediately starts to measure all radio and TV content consumed (live as well as time-shifted). In general, no software installation is required and besides connecting the USB-memory stick to the computer, no other action is required by the panelist. Additionally, USX is supported by all current Windows operating systems. This is one of the major advantages in comparison to other fix installed Internet measurement software. USX is therefore not only able to measure media consumption on computers at-home, but also out-of-home usage as for example in the office.

For the measurement of streaming content, USX uses audio matching and/or in the future also watermarking, two methods similarly applied in the Mediawatch and UMX. With that, USX is totally autonomous of the Internet browser or media player used to consume the media content. This independency of the content provider guarantees research independent from the broadcasters.

But, USX has even more to offer: Apart from audio- and video streaming data, URLs can be read out of the web browser, website tags are recognized and surveys can be conducted. USX is therefore able to measure the whole Internet usage at-home as well as out-of-home down to the second.

Through the seamless integration of USX into the Universal Meter System UMS, USX is an ideal addition to the GfK Telecontrol fixmeter UMX. Data collected with USX can be cumulated with those from UMX and complete the fixmeter data with audio- and video-streaming information from computers. Of course, USX can also be employed standalone. USX therefore fills the gap not covered by previous measurement of electronic media. GfK Telecontrol AG is fit for the future demands of media research.

GfK Telecontrol AG is going to carry out extensive field tests with USX. The device will be available to the market in 2011.

The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK SE in Nuremberg, Germany – the fourth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products GfK Telecontrol and GfK Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and/or radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, many Eastern European as well as Asian countries like India, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Centre
Electronic Media Measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
office@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch
 

]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0200 USX – das neue Internet Meter der GfK Telecontrol AG http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/usx-the-new-internet-meter-from-gfk-telecontrol-ag-kopie-1.html Video- und Audiostreaming auf dem Computer ist mit bestehenden Messinstrumenten nur schwierig zu... Der grösste Teil der klassischen elektronischen Medien wird nach wie vor mit dem TV- oder Radiogerät konsumiert. Allerdings ist das Angebot an Inhalten im Internet in den letzten Jahren markant gewachsen. Während noch vor zehn Jahren Audio- und Videostreaming in den Kinderschuhen steckte, bietet heute fast jeder Sender die eigenen Programme als live Stream sowie einzelne Sendungen als Video-on-Demand oder Podcasts an. Auch wenn die Nutzungszahlen im Vergleich zur klassischen TV-Nutzung immer noch verschwindend klein sind, werden diese Angebote mehr und mehr von den Konsumenten entdeckt. In der deutschsprachigen Schweiz gaben beispielsweise in 2008 12% aller Personen ab 15 Jahren an Web-TV zu nutzen. Im 2009 waren es immerhin schon 16%, obwohl der grösste Teil von ihnen (9%) angab, Web-TV noch weniger als einmal in der Woche zu nutzen (vgl. KommTech Study 2009 und 2010, Publica Data AG).

Aus Sicht der Forschung stellt sich die Frage, wie solche Inhalte adäquat gemessen werden können. TV-Inhalte werden heute grösstenteils mit Fixmetern gemessen, welche an die TV-Geräte in privaten Haushalten angeschlossen sind. Computer werden dabei meist nicht berücksichtigt und die auf dem Computer konsumierten Inhalte entsprechend nicht gemessen. Weiter sind die Vielzahl der verwendeten Internetbrowser und Mediaplayer weitere Hürden für die elektronische Messung.

Aus diesem Grund hat die GfK Telecontrol AG ein neues Messgerät entwickelt, welches sich autonom oder im Verbund mit dem Fixmeter UMX im Universal Meter System (UMS) betreiben lässt – das Internet Meter USX.
Bei USX handelt es sich um ein Miniaturmessgerät in Form eines USB Speichers, wie sie heute in verschiedensten Ausführungen erhältlich sind. Damit bleibt die GfK Telecontrol AG weiterhin ihrer Philosophie treu, dass bei elektronischen Messgeräten die Alltagstauglichkeit gewährleistet sein muss (vgl. Mediawatch). Denn auch ein noch so technisch ausgereiftes Messinstrument ist unbrauchbar, wenn es von den Panelisten nicht akzeptiert wird.

USX misst nicht nur zuverlässig und sekundengenau die Mediennutzung auf dem Computer, sondern bietet für den Panelisten ebenfalls die geläufigen Funktionen eines USB-Speichers mit variabler vordefinierter Speicherkapazität an. Darüber hinaus ist die Anwendung von USX äusserst einfach: der Panelist muss USX lediglich in einen freien USB-Steckplatz an seinem Computer einstecken und schon werden sämtliche auf dem Computer konsumierten Radio- und TV-Inhalte (sowohl live als auch time-shifted) von USX gemessen. Generell muss kein Programm installiert werden und abgesehen vom Einstecken des USB Speichers sind keine weiteren Aktionen vom Panelisten erfordert. Zudem wird USX von allen neueren Windows Betriebssystemen vollumfänglich unterstützt. Hier liegt ein erheblicher Vorteil von USX gegenüber anderen fixinstallierten Messprogrammen und das portable USX eignet sich damit nicht nur für die Messung auf dem Heimcomputer, sondern kann auch am Arbeitsplatz eingesetzt werden (out of home).

USX erfasst die konsumierten Streaming-Inhalte mittels Audiomatching- und/oder in Zukunft auch mittels Watermarking-Verfahren, welche ähnlich auch in der Mediawatch und UMX verwendet werden. Damit ist USX vollständig unabhängig von der Art des benutzten Internetbrowsers oder Mediaplayers wie auch unabhängig vom Content Anbieter und garantiert dadurch von den Broadcastern unabhängige Forschung.

Aber USX kann noch mehr: Nebst den Daten zu Audio- und Videostreaming können auch URLs aus dem Webbrowser ausgelesen, Tags auf Webseiten erkannt sowie Befragungen durchgeführt werden. USX ist demnach in der Lage, die gesamte Internetnutzung at-home wie auch out-of-home sekundengenau zu messen. 

Durch die nahtlose Integration von USX in den UMS Verbund eignet sich USX in idealer Weise als Ergänzung zum GfK Telecontrol Fixmeter UMX. Mit USX erhobene Daten können mit denen von UMX kumuliert werden und ergänzen so die Fixmeter Daten mit Audio- und Vidoestreaming Informationen vom Computer. Alternativ kann USX natürlich auch autonom eingesetzt werden. USX füllt damit eine Lücke in der bisherigen Messung der elektronischen Medien und rüstet die GfK Telecontrol AG für die Zukunft.

Noch in diesem Jahr führt die GfK Telecontrol AG umfangreiche Feldtests mit USX durch. Im Markt wird das Produkt 2011 erhältlich sein.

GfK Telecontrol AG
Die GfK Telecontrol AG ist eine 100% Tochtergesellschaft der GfK SE, des viertgrössten Marktforschungsunternehmen der Welt mit Hauptsitz in Nürnberg, Deutschland. Mit ihrem Sitz in der Schweiz ist die GfK Telecontrol AG ein gutes Beispiel für “Swiss Quality”: Ihre Produkte GfK Telecontrol und GfK Mediawatch – beide Produkte sind von der GfK Telecontrol AG selbst entwickelt – kommen seit 22 Jahren in über 28 Ländern weltweit zum Einsatz. Die SRG SSR idée suisse setzt Telecontrol beispielsweise seit 1985 zur Erhebung der TV-Nutzungsdaten ein und verwendet Radiocontrol beziehungsweise Mediawatch seit 2001 zur Messung des Radio-Konsums. Zudem werden Telecontrol und Mediawatch weltweit verwendet um die Radio- und TV-Nutzung zu erheben; z.B. in Deutschland, Österreich, Zypern und vielen osteuropäischen und asiatischen Ländern wie Rumänien, Bulgarien, Armenien, Ukraine, Georgien, Indien und vielen mehr.

Kontakt
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Centre
Electronic Media Measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
office@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

 

]]> Thu, 15 Jul 2010 15:14:00 +0200 When in Rome do as the Romans do – also in Radio usage http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/when-in-rome-do-as-the-romans-do-also-in-radio-usage-kopie-1.html As stated at the end of the newsletter comparing TV usage in different countries, radio usage is... The figure above shows the net reach in % of radio consumption in Greece, Cyprus and Switzerland. These countries where chosen, because in all of these a GfK Telecontrol Mediawatch study was run during the selected period. Thanks to this, the data is easily comparable.*

Switzerland
As can be seen, Switzerland is a typical ‘radio-country’, which is rather uncommon these days. The Swiss feature the highest radio usage of all three countries compared and radio consumption is well structured along the daily activities. The first thing Swiss people seem to do in the morning is switch on the radio. They also seem to get up early in the morning, as their radio consumption starts around 05:30 and has its first peak at around 07:00. The radio usage stays high as long as people commute but then decreases while people are at work – radio use at work seems uncommon in many companies. At around 12:00 the highest peak of the daily usage is reached, when people have lunch whilst listening to the news. The radio use then again decreases until 17:00 when it rises to a final peak, when people leave work and turn on the radio whilst driving home. Radio usage then decreases as people switch from radio to TV in the evening. This typical radio behaviour has its roots in the strong position of the Swiss Broadcasting Corporation, which up to 1983 was the only radio broadcaster in Switzerland and thus dominated the structure of the programme.

Cyprus
In Cyprus, the radio usage is similar to the one in Switzerland, although on a lower level and less structured – more supporting programme but still alongside the daily activities. People get up as early in the morning as in Switzerland, but tend to turn on the radio not before driving to work – that’s why radio consumption starts later in the morning than in Switzerland. Consumption then stays high during the day with a slight peak at around 12:00 – people seem to listen to the radio whilst at work. In the afternoon, usage decreases as in summer it is very hot and shops close during siesta. Radio consumption then increases again towards 17:00, only to decrease sharply afterwards as people switch over to TV.

Greece
Greece in comparison is not a radio-country at all. This is not surprising as in our last cross-country comparison, Greece turned out to be a typical TV-country. Radio usage starts only slowly in the morning to reach an all-day high around 12:00. As in Cyprus, usage decreases in the afternoon, to rise slightly towards 17:00 as it is too hot to work in the afternoon. In the evening, radio consumption falls to the usual low level as TV consumption rises even more. Thus, in Greece radio is on in the background during the day, but without special concentration on the content.

Radio usage compared
This short analysis shows that besides TV also radio consumption varies significantly and very much depends on the culture and climatic circumstances of the country. A marketing strategy which is valid in one country can thus not at all be transferred to another without in-depth analysis of the cultural habits prevailing. However, with the appropriate measuring equipment it is easy to analyse these differences in detail and develop adequate advertising strategies to reach people when they actually listen to the radio.

The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK SE in Nuremberg, Germany – the fourth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products GfK Telecontrol and GfK Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and/or radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, many Eastern European as well as Asian countries like India, Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Center
Electronic Media Measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch


*Admittedly, the projects still vary in issues like sample recruitment, sample size and editing rules and are therefore not 100% comparable.

]]> Tue, 23 Mar 2010 16:45:00 +0100 Weather vs. TV http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/weather-vs-tv.html Everybody knows the effect from own experience – when the weather is good people like to go... The summer of the century - 2003
A possible effect of the weather on the TV consumption should be easily detected during extreme incidents. For this analysis, the “summer of the century” in 2003, was therefore compared to an average summer (2009). The description “summer of the century” colloquially describes a season with extraordinary weather related occurrences like f.e. very long and hot periods of dry weather with above-average maximum temperature, daily insolation and number of summer days (maximum temperature above 25 °C) resp. tropical days (maximum daytime temperature above 30 °C, nighttime temperature not below 20 °C). Most “summers of the century” do statistically vary several degrees Celsius from the maximal temperatures of an average summer.

Graph 1 shows quite clearly the differentiation of the “summer of the century” in 2003 to the rather average summer of 2009: In May, the temperatures were relatively similar but the values of June and August vary quite significantly. In 2003, a drop in temperature in July is distinctive but its lowest point is still higher than the mean temperature of July 2009. This high average implies a significantly higher number of sunshine hours with only little rainfall; whereas in September both meet again on a common level.

TV consumption during the „summer of the century“ 2003
Now it is interesting to compare the total TV consumption in Switzerland over the same period of time. The data measured with GfK Telecontrol VIII devices deliver differentiated data, which make this analysis possible at all.
Generally, the TV consumption is at its highest during the winter months, whereas in summertime it drops by approximately 3%. In autumn, it slowly climbs back up to the winter level. The low consumption can on one hand be ascribed to holiday absences in June, July and August and on the other hand to people taking part in outdoor activities more often and therefore spend less time in front of the television.

Distinct is the difference between the „summer of the century” in 2003 and the rather average summer in 2009. In June and July 2003, TV usage was at its lowest and only slowly recovered in August. In 2009 on the other hand, the nice weather in August, which followed the changeable weather in June and July, kept TV consumption low, which meant that TV consumption only slowly increased in September to reach its normal level.

Influence of the weather on a small scale as well
The comparison of the “summer of the century” in 2003 with the average summer of 2009 concerning the weather and the TV consumption shows, that the weather does have an influence on the TV consumption. This extreme example makes clear that probably even less extreme weather can influence the TV consumption. For example, good weather weekends results in a drop in TV consumption, however, it is difficult to ascertain the numbers over such a short period. In fact, in media research several options have been thought of, how to align the TV programme to the weather.

The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK SE in Nuremberg, Germany – the fourth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products Telecontrol and Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and the Mediawatch (formerly Radiocontrol) since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol and the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and India and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Center
Electronic Media Measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

]]> Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:00:00 +0100 End of Year Reflection http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/end-of-year-reflection.html The year is nearing its end and we thought it is time to reflect on what has happened in 2009. A... Organization
On 1st January 2009 the two main companies of the former Telecontrol Group (Telecontrol AG, Liechti AG) merged into one. GfK Telecontrol AG also became the international Competence Center for electronic media within GfK SE. The knowhow and expertise of the team lays the perfect foundation for this role. New acquisitions of media projects are now being lead by this Competence Center. With its new CEO, Andreas Kron (fig. 1), and the tow new Managing Directors, Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch (fig. 3) and Daniel Battiston (fig. 3) the GfK Telecontrol AG also opened a new office for the Marketing & Media Research department in Berne.

Development
The development of the new measurement system Universal Meter System (UMS, fig. 2) is well under way. UMS combines different measuring technologies into one central measurement instrument enabling the recording of every form of electronic media usage consumption. It combines a fixmeter (UMX), the Mediawatch and USX (USB flash drive to record media usage on the internet). Its modularity enables easy upgrade of existing systems by adding new instruments.

Markets
In various markets around the world things have moved on this year:

  • Germany: Launch of TC score. 9’000 units delivered and are being installed.
  • Austria: Launch of TC score. 1’400 units delivered and are being installed.

  • Switzerland: The customer initiated some methodical changes especially in regard to the weighting in the Mediawatch panel. The TV panel size increased to 2’010 households.

  • Romania: The gross panel size increased to 1’350 households.

  • Armenia: Armenia was one of the first countries where the Markdata software was introduced with the support of GfK Telecontrol AG. Their panel will be increased by 220 TC8S meters.

  • Greece: In cooperation with GfK Hellas two successful waves of a TV and radio measurement study were conducted with the Mediawatch. 1’000 panelists were involved and the Mediawatch proved once again its suitability for such studies. The results have shown that the Greeks are very heavy TV consumers and also have a huge out-of-home consumption.

  • Netherlands: The Mediawatch (fig. 2) compliance study with RAB (Radio Advies Bureau) was finished successfully. The results were quite significant: the mean of the worn minutes is approx. 16:30 hours per day per panellist. The high wearing figures of this study once again prove the advantage of a measurement instrument designed as a normal wrist watch and confirm our “passive” approach.

  • Cyprus: In January the first household docking stations were delivered to Cyprus and will, after the installation phase, deliver trend data.

 

Presentations
Besides customer presentations all over the world GfK Telecontrol personnel was holding presentations at the following conferences:

  • SAARF (South African Advertising Research Agency): TAM Forum, March 2009, Johannesburg. “Latest Developments and our vision for the future”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch and Daniel Battiston

  • ESOMAR: World Research Conference on Worldwide Multimedia Measurement, May 2009, Stockholm. “Cross-media measurement by Centralized Data Collection of Comparable Data”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch.

  • EGTA (Association of TV and radio sales houses): Annual General Meeting, May 2009, Zürich. “Radio Electronic Audience Measurement – Are we moving forward?”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch

  • ARF (Advertising Research Foundation): Audience Measurement 4.0, June 2009, New York. “Has the Time Come for Competition in Media Audience Measurement?”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch and Daniel Battiston

  • Statistisches Bundesamt Deutschland (Statistical Federal Bureau Germany): 8th Scientific Conference – Non-reactive Collection Processes, June 2009, Wiesbaden (Germany). “Data collection with the Mediawatch”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch
     
  • APODEMO (Association of Market Research Companies): Seminaro – Communication and Media, November 2009, Lisbon. “Challenges of Media Measurement – Now and in the Future”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch (fig. 3)
     
  • ASI: European Radio & TV Symposium, November 2009, Istanbul.
    “Who is listening to radio on what platform? New advances in audio-matching data”
    by Andreas Thaller and Dr. Olivier Staub

    “Major change in Germany – new system, new demands”
    by Robert Nicklas, Daniel Battiston

    “Universal Meter System – The Measurement Approach for the Future”
    by Dr. Tanja Hackenbruch

  • Shanghai Theatre Academy: December 2009, Shanghai.
    “Electronic Media Research”
    by Daniel Battiston (fig. 3)

 

Future
The development of UMS with all its components is the main focus for 2010. Further, GfK Telecontrol AG is currently working on a quality standards paper for media research within GfK. This will give a guideline for future projects being conducted in cooperation with GfK media research departments and third parties.

But of course, as always we will still do our best to satisfy all customer needs with high quality products and services.

And last but not least the next ITA meeting is planned to take place at a fabulous location in September 2010. More details follow soon.

The whole GfK Telecontrol AG team wishes you all the very best for 2010!


The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK AG in Nuremberg, Germany – the fourth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products GfK Telecontrol and GfK Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and India and other countries.


Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Centre
Electronic Media measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

 

]]> Tue, 15 Dec 2009 16:00:00 +0100 When in Rome, do as the Romans do - also in TV usage http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/when-in-rome-do-as-the-romans-do-also-in-tv-usage.html Different countries vary in many ways. People from southern countries for example are known to have... The graph shows the TV rating curve in % in the course of the day in Greece, Cyprus and Switzerland. These countries were chosen because all data was collected by the same measurement system (GfK Telecontrol’s Mediawatch). Because the length of the measurement period and the universes of the three projects varied the least in the target group of the 15-44 year old, this group was chosen for the graph. The selected measurement period was 20th June – 5th July 2009. Like this, all results can be compared rationally*.

The results show quite obviously that the variations in the daily routines are reflected in the TV usage behavior. For example, TV consumption in the morning is much higher in Greece and Cyprus than in Switzerland. In Greece and Cyprus, TV is much more an accompanying medium. The population in Switzerland, in comparison, watches TV mainly in the evening.

The constantly increasing curve without significant peaks suggests that in Greece TV is not a selectively used medium. This is reflected in the programme structure: the four largest channels differ only marginal in their format.
However, the sudden decrease in reach at around 21:00h is very interesting. This can be explained as the Greeks like going out for dinner even during the week. This is reflected in the TV usage figures as not in all restaurants and bars TVs are available. What is also striking in Greece is the high TV usage during the night.

In Cyprus it is also very common to switch on the TV first thing in the morning. But in comparison to Greece Cypriots are more selective, which is reflected in the slight increases of usage at lunchtime (around 14:00h) and again in the evening. At around 19:30h, usage increases dramatically and peaks at 21:30h (prime-time). The programme structure can also be linked to the usage curve: at 21:30h the news programmes finish on most channels. Thereafter, an advertising block is shown followed by the most popular series.

Surprisingly, Switzerland has a similar structure to Cyprus though slightly brought forward and on a lower level with significantly less fluctuation. The Swiss are famous for their rationality and moderation. These traits are also reflected in their TV usage behavior. Lunchtime is usually at around 12:30h so 1,5 hours ahead of the Cypriots.

In Switzerland, TV is mainly being consumed after work, which is reflected in the increasing usage curve in the evening. The Swiss audience is also known for its selectiveness. The peak from 19:30h to 20:00h confirms this as the main news programme “Tagesschau” with adjoining weather service “Meteo” are shown at that time.

The question whether these cultural differences shown in TV are also reflected in the radio usage behavior will be answered in one of the next newsletters.

The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK AG in Nuremberg, Germany – the fifth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products GfK Telecontrol and GfK Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, Greece, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and India and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Competence Center
Electronic Media measurement
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

*Admittedly, the projects still vary in issues like sample recruitment or sample size and are therefore not 100% comparable.

]]> Mon, 16 Nov 2009 11:10:00 +0100 Events that moved the (TV)-world http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/events-that-moved-the-tv-world.html Every day an innumerable amount of events happen with various implications and of different medial... On a daily basis sad and wonderful events occur across the world that move individuals, groups of people, residents of cities or whole nations and usually also have an impact on the TV coverage and reception. The following report analyzes the TV reception in Switzerland during some major events. For the analysis, events from different areas were chosen but all were of national significance and were covered in the media accordingly.

The analyzed data come from the Mediapulse panel in Switzerland, which was raised with GfK Telecontrol products. All events were evaluated and analyzed with the GfK Telecontrol Media Reporter software. For comparison, the data of an average weekday is shown; like this the impressive differences in TV usage become visible.

The following two events were chosen for this report: 

  • Sports event – the Wimbledon final 2009: On Sunday, 5th July 2009, Roger Federer beat the American Andy Roddick in an epic four hour match, winning his 15th Major title. The match was broadcasted on three different channels (x1, 2, 3) from 14.45 h until 19.55 h. For this analysis all three channels were combined and evaluated. For comparison, an average Sunday was also analyzed.
  • Social event – the funeral of Michael Jackson: On Tuesday, 7th July 2009, the funeral of the „King of Pop“ took place in Los Angeles. Only one Swiss channel (x4) broadcasted the event from 18.45 h until 22.30 h. For comparison, an average Tuesday was also analyzed.

Wimbledon final
As a first example we look at the Wimbledon final on 5th July 2009 (Roger Federer – Andy Roddick) (see fig. 1). Up until the start of the game at 15.00 h, the TV usage was below average, probably due to the sunny summer weather. With the beginning of the game the TV usage increased significantly and continued to rise throughout the match. After the four hour game not only the players were exhausted, also the audience was tired of watching and averted from the TVs. The difference of TV usage on 5th July 2009 to an average Sunday was rather large: on an average Sunday the maximum reach is 5% and during the gripping tennis final the reach rose to a maximum of 23%.

Funeral of Michael Jackson
Another example of a live broadcast is the funeral of Michael Jackson (see fig. 2). This event was broadcasted across the world on 7th July and was shown in Switzerland on channel x4. The reach increased from 0.5% on an average Tuesday to a maximum of 5%. The programme “The Michael Jackson Story”, which was shown straight afterwards, again attracted more than the average amount of viewers.

The analysis of data measured with Telecontrol products shows, that extraordinary events can attract a multiple of the average TV audience. For broadcasters it is therefore worthwhile to buy the sometimes enormously expensive broadcasting rights.
This sort of events is also of great interest to advertisers, as they reach a bigger than normal audience.

These complex analyses are possible thanks to the precise GfK Telecontrol fixmeters, which are installed in 1’870 Swiss households to measure TV consumption. With the analyzing software GfK Telecontrol Media Reporter, the data of a set time period can be evaluated and reported.

The GfK Telecontrol AG
The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK AG in Nuremberg, Germany – the fifth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products GfK Telecontrol and GfK Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Romania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Ukraine, Georgia and India and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

]]> Wed, 02 Sep 2009 17:18:00 +0200 The UMS - a New Media Measurement System for Today and the Future http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/the-ums-a-new-media-measurement-system-for-today-and-the-future.html Measuring systems that can measure and identify all technical distribution platforms and its usage... In order to meet the new demands in media research in all kinds of markets GfK Telecontrol AG has developed a new technology system based on its experience with existing products but further enhanced according to the latest findings and requirements. The state of the art measurement systems in operation all over the world include both fixed meters used for at-home TV measurement (e.g. the fix meters with multiple recognition technologies such as frequency measurement, coding, visual recognition technology and substitution of devices) and portable meters used for TV, radio, print, poster and cinema research (Telecontrol Mediawatch with audio matching technology). The new GfK Telecontrol AG measurement system, called UMS (Universal Meter System), combines all measurement tools and its measurement technologies, which enables an entire and customized recording of media usage. In other words, the new Telecontrol fix meter (UMX) at home, the portable meter Mediawatch (MW) together with a new Internet measurement tool (USX) can be combined, so that the entire data flow converges in one single data centre by forming an entire system. The outstanding characteristic of this combination, from a technical point of view, is the fact, that only one data centre is necessary for the whole data collection (polling, data processing etc.). From the users’ point of view, the data acquired with the new measurement system, is similarly structured and uniformly prepared. Data correction is also carried out uniformly and research designs are freely adaptable.
What is special about the new meter system is the fact that depending on the need of the client and the technical equipment of the market, various combinations of measurement technology within UMS are feasible – either per market or even per target group within a panel / market.


GfK Telecontrol AG's new meter system UMS

UMX: Fixed meter to measure TV consumption. Uses audio matching, audio coding, frequency recognition (intrusive and non intrusive), analogue and DVB-T substitution, screen interface processing (SIP) – only one of them or in combination.

Mediawatch: Portable meter to measure TV, radio, print, outdoor, place of consumption. Uses audio matching, audio coding, RF recognition, active data entry.

USX: Internet measurement to measure all media consumed via internet (internet radio- and TV-streaming) out of home, in home. Uses an usb stick with measurement functionality.


Strengts of UMS

  • Measurement of all distribution platforms and distribution vectors and its recognition. By combining the different recognition technologies all distribution platforms over all vectors can be measured and identified.
  • Cross-media measurement with one system. As the UMX, the Mediawatch and the USX build one system, which enables to measure TV, Radio, Print and Internet usage, cross-media measurement becomes feasible within a single-source system and comparable data output.
  • Measurement of time shifted viewing/listening. The possible implementation of the coding technology enables to measure also time-shifted viewing or listening of media content.
  • Measurement of at home and out of home viewing/listening. The flexibility of the whole UMS and its possibility of various research designs enables to measure and identify of at home and out of home media consumption.
  • Measurement of special target groups. The possibility to use differently equipped meters within a panel enables to run a sub-panel of a special target group for example a “high-class” sub-panel.
  • Modular system. One major improvement of the new meter technology is its flexibility. The system can initially be bought as a base-unit and, when demand arises, gradually be equipped with additional tools, like f.e. a different measurement technology in the fixmeter and/or portable meters, without having to change the whole system.
  • No need to buy all in once. As the UMS is a modular and scalable system, there is no need for the customer to buy all in once. Depending on the requirements of the market the set-up of a media research design can be carried out firstly with basic equipment. If the requirements increase, the measurement system can be upgraded very easily.
  • Future orientation. With its high flexibility it enables to adapt the measurement system to the general market requirements and the ever changing media landscape and so guaranteeing a state of the art electronic media measurement system and investment safety for our clients.

 

The GfK Telecontrol AG

The GfK Telecontrol AG is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK AG in Nuremberg, Germany – the fifth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol AG is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products Telecontrol and Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol AG developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Rumania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia and India and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Bern
Tel +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
hackenbruch@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

]]> Mon, 20 Apr 2009 15:40:00 +0200 Comments on feedback channel measurement http://www.telecontrol.ch/typo3/company/news/news-details/article/comments-on-feedback-channel-measurement.html Feedback channel measurement has recently become a frequent topic of discussion and is being... A variety of reports has appeared in the press recently claiming that a number of market research companies are negotiating with cable and satellite TV suppliers to record the usage patterns of more than 100,000 households, initially in the US, using feedback channel measurement. Can the new research approach using feedback channel measurement really generate data on media behaviour in line with the current standards of electronic media research without having to fall back on an elaborate and thus costly panel?

Brave new world thanks to feedback channel measurement?
Compared with traditional panel research, feedback channel measurement represents a different approach to research: instead of addressing the user, measurements are carried out on the side of the medium. With this method, the content consumed by users is not measured. Instead, measurement focuses on which medium content is supplied to the end user’s device. In technical terms, the user’s set-top box is asked which media have been consumed at what time. This usually takes place via an analogue modem, which is integrated into more modern set-top boxes. If – as with IP-TV – the Internet protocol is used as a transport protocol, the process is even easier: the standard Internet protocol has a feedback channel – in the case of IP-TV, content is requested by the user via this channel. With IP-TV, the operations centre thus already knows which broadcasts have been collected. Carried out consistently, a full survey of the public by content suppliers themselves almost immediately after broadcasting thus appears to be possible using feedback channel measurement without the need for any costly panels, household installations and without a market research institute – the dream (or nightmare) of every market researcher becomes a reality. Unfortunately, however, feedback channel measurement is more complicated and problematical in reality than would appear at first sight.

The flip side of the coin of feedback channel measurement
The problems that occur are manifold: one technical problem is, for example, that set-top boxes fitted with integral modems require an additional cable to link the set-top box to the household’s telephone connection. If both the telephone socket and the TV socket are not in the same location – as is so often the case – the connection between the set-top box and the telephone socket has to be laid within the apartment. Accordingly, this research approach also needs a technician to carry out the installation work in the household. In the case of cable TV, the set-top box can be fitted with a cable modem in advance – an analogue modem with installation work to connect it to the telephone line is unnecessary in this case. Based on the higher prices of cable modems, research becomes much more expensive in this case, however. In the case of IP-TV, it must be noted that not all suppliers also save the consumer information – polling is thus impossible. Technical problems also arise with the multitude of set-top boxes used. Because each model has to be specially controlled, a simple, central query is impossible – the number of available households is reduced to those with compatible set-top boxes. At any rate, cooperation both with set-top box manufacturers as well as with media suppliers is essential as research is dependent on cooperation from both of them. However, there are other disadvantages: firstly, the legal situation should be mentioned at this point. In Europe at least, the passing on of a household’s consumer information is only possible with their consent – which further limits the number of households available for an evaluation. The fundamentally different approach of feedback channel measurement by the content supplier mentioned at the beginning results in the problem that it is not people who are actually being measured but set-top boxes; no information whatsoever can be given about the person(s) sitting in front of the TV set. However, it is precisely this information that is of importance for programme scheduling, advertising scheduling and evaluation as the basic issue is always whether one has reached one’s public and thus one’s target group. Accordingly, it is impossible to collect any information on the number of people, on age, on gender or any other demographic details without additional studies. It is true that this data can be added to the evaluation using data fusion. Nevertheless, the question arises in this case as to whether important target groups have been forgotten and what the point of measurement is if fusion is the determining moment in the end anyway. From the viewpoint of research, the fact that there are many factors that can influence the result is also a matter for concern: once again we see here the dependence of content suppliers and set-top box manufacturers that was mentioned above, problems with the evaluation of different set-top boxes (for example, do all models evaluate broadcasts that have been consumed as having been “viewed” according to the same criteria?). With feedback channel measurement, it is also impossible to guarantee without further studies whether there are additional reception vectors in a household, whether the set-top box is only used to record broadcasts and not for live viewing or whether the TV is switched on. The consumption of DVDs, recorded broadcasts, games, etc. cannot be evaluated at all.

Conclusion
The GfK Telecontrol Group welcomes the new options for research that have resulted from digitalisation in the shape of feedback channel measurement and is taking a very close look at research in this area. It is beyond dispute that feedback channel measurement – particularly in connection with the Internet protocol – will be of increasing significance in electronic media research. At the same time, however, the GfK Telecontrol Group feels that it is essential to assess the possibilities offered by this emerging research approach in line with reality. Using the current set-top boxes, research is still limited in scope without any technical installations in a household. The data gained from feedback channel measurement does not contain any socio-demographic information and the quality of the data falls short of today’s standards. Until the problems and disadvantages that accompany feedback channel measurement are solved, there is no alternative to a traditional panel if electronic media research is to of a high quality.

The GfK Telecontrol Group
The GfK Telecontrol Group is a wholly-owned subsidiary of GfK AG in Nuremberg, Germany – the fifth-largest market research company in the world. Located in Switzerland, the GfK Telecontrol Group is a good example of “Swiss Quality”: its products Telecontrol and Mediawatch – both of which are in-house GfK Telecontrol Group developments – have been in use in a total of 28 countries worldwide for 22 years. The Swiss Broadcasting Company, in particular, has been using Telecontrol since 1985 to survey TV viewing habits and Radiocontrol or the Mediawatch since 2001 to survey radio listening habits. However, Telecontrol or the Mediawatch are also used worldwide to survey TV and radio consumption in Germany, Austria, Cyprus, many Eastern European and Asian countries like Rumania, Bulgaria, Armenia, Georgia and India and other countries.

Contact
GfK Telecontrol AG
Gesellschaftsstrasse 30
CH-3012 Berne
Tel. +41 31 380 80 40
Fax +41 31 380 80 44
office@telecontrol.ch
www.telecontrol.ch

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