Novidades sobre o terceiro sistema

Quando a Clear Channel anunciou que escolheu três sistemas para a fase final daquilo que pretende que venha a ser o seu sistema de medição alternativo, houve um do qual nada se soube (os outros dois são o PPM e o telemóvel da MediaAudit/Ipsos). Finalmente, a Mediamark Research esclarece pormenores: vai apresentar-se com o já conhecido Eurisko Media Monitor:

«Mediamark's entry is based on the Eurisko Media Monitor, developed by a related company in Europe. Unlike Arbitron's PPM, which requires stations to encode to be counted, the Eurisko device uses sound matching, where snippets of sound from the device carried by a panelist are compared against electronically monitored broadcasts. Mediamark Research's VP of Research and New Ventures Jay Mattlin says the system will be able to calculate shares for all stations, regardless of whether they subscribe or wish to participate. As for the third competitor, The Media Audit/Ipsos system using Smart Cell Phones, Mattlin questions whether it is a good idea to use the microphones built into cell phones "which are really designed to block out extraneous noise" to better pick up the user's voice. While Arbitron has been testing for months in Houston and The Media Audit/Ipsos is preparing for a spring test, also in Houston, Mediamark Research doesn't have any US test on the drawing board. "That's really up to the industry. We are not planning to fund one on our own," Mattlin said. As for proof of performance, he points to the results of tests by RAJAR, which has been comparing PPM and the Eurisko device for radio ratings use in the UK. Mattlin says his company has talked with Clear Channel (which launched the RFP process) about a potential US roll-out schedule, but that's not being disclosed outside the evaluation process.

"I think that our device has the advantage that I mentioned before - - it doesn't rely on the cooperation the broadcaster, and at the same time has a slightly longer track record than the Ipsos/Media Audit one," Mattlin said, noting that the Media Monitor has gone through RAJAR field testing, while the Ipsos system has not. "I also, just from my perspective, think that the look of the device is very appealing," he added. And he noted that there are ways for the battery life to be extended so it does not have to be recharged every night. "It would still pick up as much audio as the PPM does, but doesn't have to be recharged as frequently," Mattlin said.

RBR observation: Now this is where the fun begins and it comes down to the Next-Generation Electronic Ratings Evaluation Team but for the most part only two are the real keys to opening this lock. As for one of the keys RBR has stated from the beginning - Money - and lots of it as this quote from Jay Mattlin sums it up - "That's really up to the industry. We are not planning to fund one on our own," just as Nielsen said it was not interested in being a part of the funding or Money»

fonte: «Mediamark Research says its device trumps cell phones, PPM», RBR, Volume 23, Issue 61, Jim Carnegie, 28/3/06)