AGB Nielsen Media Research to Invest $600,000 into Georgia’s TV Ratings System
Georgia secures a place among the world’s more sophisticated media markets
The major U.S. provider of television marketing and consumer information recently committed to invest $600,000 to upgrade the television ratings system in the former Soviet Republic of Georgia. AGB Nielsen Media Research will partner with the USAID-funded IREX Media Innovations Project and the Institute for Polling and Marketing (IPM), a Georgian firm, to install People Meters in homes across Georgia.
People Meters are an electronic television metering system placed in randomly selected households. A fixed box is placed on or near the television, and each member of the household is assigned a personal viewing button. These personal buttons allow Nielsen to determine who is watching the program.
People Meters are critical to the further commercial development of Georgia’s media sector.
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| People Meters help Georgia develop TV ratings system. |
The upgrade to People Meters builds upon a pilot project that IREX designed in 2003 as a local initiative to attract more advertising from domestic and international advertisers. Implemented by the Institute for Polling and Marketing (IPM), the project initiated the use of television ratings diaries, which were filled in daily by selected households as they watched TV.
The diaries provided important audience research data for the Tbilisi market area. Later, the ratings system expanded to another six Georgian cities to create a national ratings system. The project immediately improved investment in the advertising market, taking advertiser investment from $3 million to $7 million in the first two months.
AGB Nielsen’s decision to invest in Georgia came as a result of an audit by KPMG, an international auditing firm that certified the validity of Georgia’s television ratings system. KPMG officially confirmed that Georgia ’s ratings system complies with established international standards and is providing accurate, credible information.
While the introduction of TV ratings diaries has bolstered investor confidence and already produced impressive results, the upgrade to People Meters is expected to double current advertiser investment.
People Meters will encourage television broadcasters to adopt management strategies based on audience preferences. This in turn will increase broadcasters’ revenue, improve their service, and help them become stronger and more independent.
AGB Nielsen’s partnership with IREX is an example of strong foreign direct investment that is directly attributable to a donor program. The U.S. Government supports Georgia’s independent media through funding provided to IREX, a leading U.S. non-profit organization specializing in the development of independent media, the Internet, and civil society. Since August 2002, IREX has implemented the Media Innovations Project, which supports print and broadcast media through improving management, professionalism, and sustainability.
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