The Television Audience Measurement in the Digital Age
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BUZETA, C. y MOYANO, P. The Television Audience Measurement in the Digital Age CUADERNOS.INFO VOLº 33 ISSN 0719-3661 Versión electrónica: ISSN 0719-367x http://www.cuadernos.info DOI: 10.7764/cdi.33.503 Received: 07-08-2013 / Accepted: 11-14-2013 The Television Audience Measurement in the Digital Age La medición de las audiencias de televisión en la era digital CRISTIAN BUZETA, Jefe Comercial y de Atención a Clientes, Time Ibope ([email protected]) PATRICIO MOYANO, Gerente General, Time Ibope ([email protected]) ABSTRACT RESUMEN The introduction of the digital terrestrial television La introducción de la Televisión Digital Terrestre (DTT) in Chile brings new problems to the television (TDT) en Chile trae consigo problemáticas nuevas audience measurement process. In a multisignal para el proceso de medición de audiencias en televisión. context, with the emergence of new contents and En un contexto multiseñal, con la aparición de nuevos squarely in front of the contemporary technological contenidos y enfrentando de lleno la convergencia convergence, the correct representation of the viewing tecnológica contemporánea, la correcta representación behaviors faces unprecedented methodological de las conductas de visionado enfrenta un desafío challenges. This creates the conditions for developing metodológico sin precedentes. Esto propicia las new methodologies as a result of professional condiciones para desarrollar nuevas metodologías, experience and research in the field itself. Thus, fruto de la experiencia profesional y de la propia the TV audience measurement in Chile takes a investigación en el campo. En el caso de Chile, new methodological approach, through the “Audio en la medición de audiencias de TV se ha optado Matching”. With this, the measurement through por un nuevo enfoque metodológico, a través del audimeters (people meters) enters a new era, facing “Audio Matching”. Con esto, la medición a través the dual challenge of analog and digital measurement de audímetros (people meters) entra en una nueva in a mixed television broadcast. In addition, it era, enfrentando el reto de la medición dual –digital does respond effectively to the new realities in the y análoga–, en un escenario mixto de emisión de television consumption related to the time shifted televisión. Además, logra responder efectivamente a television viewing. In turn, this new methodological las nuevas realidades de consumo de televisión en el approach is compatible with future measurement hogar, relacionadas al visionado diferido y la televisión systems for other areas and consumption platforms. grabada. A la vez, este nuevo enfoque metodológico es compatible con futuros sistemas de medición para otros ámbitos y plataformas de consumo. Keywords: audience measurement, television, people Palabras clave: medición de audiencias, televisión, people meter, audimeter. meter, audímetro. •How to cite: Buzeta,CUADERNOS.INFO C. y Moyano, VOLº P. 33(2013). / DECEMBER La medición 2013 /de ISSN las 0719-3661 audiencias / deE-VERSION: televisión WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO en la era digital. Cuadernos.info / ISSN 0719-367X, 33, 53-62. DOI: 10.7764/cdi.33.503 53 BUZETA, C. y MOYANO, P. The Television Audience Measurement in the Digital Age BACKGROUND necessary to consider that the data from the audience In September of 2009, the Government of Chile studies is used as the media currency among the enacted the standard of Digital Terrestrial Television participants of the industry (media, advertisers and (DTT) under which was set the way in which will take agencies). Because of its own characteristics, these place television broadcasts in the country, through the studies drives the media investment. In addition, this ISDB-Tb1 standard. This definition opened a range industry is inserted in a society that moves forward in of possibilities for the whole national broadcasting the transformation of media consumption platforms. industry, given the feasibility of transmitting in a better Under these conditions, the correct representation of technical quality, with a greater range of content, signals media consumption behavior is unavoidably relevant and channels to a myriad of technological platforms to all actors: broadcasters, advertisers and regulatory that are now within its reach (Godoy, 2009). In addition agencies (Lamas, 2004). to this, the increasing consumption of digital pay TV Considering the above mentioned, this article will through paid television systems and the enormous briefly review the challenge posed by new technologies, amount of live and recorded content available over and in particular DTT, to the measurement of TV the Internet provide an opportunity to delve into the audiences. It will begin by describing the way the characteristics of the local consumption of television measurement is performed in our days, and stating at the level of households and persons. the reasons affecting to continue to do so. New Against this new horizon which opens, it is worth methodologies in operation will be revised and we remembering that only ten years ago the scenario was will exhibit the methodological option chosen by IBOPE completely different. Television consumption was Media, and Time Ibope as its affiliated company in Chile, mainly made at home, through an analog-normed TV to address the problem. Such an option, supported by that only served as a screen displaying contents on a a review of several systems and methodologies used standard definition quality. Although there was pay internationally, involves the use and development of television, the number of channels in Chile was fairly new technologies. Finally, this report will end with limited, with only 27.8% penetration in Santiago (Time a small revision of the achieved learning outcomes Ibope, 2002). Thus, the possibilities of broadening the and a reflection regarding the direction in which the contents were subjected to what was available in the measurement of audiences should point in contexts of video store, either in format VHS or DVD (Consejo high technological complexity. Nacional de Televisión [CNTV], 2005). Nowadays the reality is quite different. The possibilities for consumption inside and outside of METHODOLOGIES OF MEASUREMENT: PAST, the home have increased. Even the consumer has PRESENT AND FUTURE individualized, becoming even mobile, according to THE PAST OF AUDIENCE MEASUREMENT what is reported in much of the world (Casalegno, The way in which the studies of television audiences Susani, Frigo, Kaman & Wallen, 2010). The TV went measurement are developed around the world has from serve just as a screen to become the multimedia evolved since its inception at an accelerated pace. Since center of the home. Audiovisual content to which is the beginning of the 20th century, particularly from possible to have access have multiplied thanks to the the 1920s, there was a growing interest in knowing increase in the supply of producers and distributors the characteristics of the audiences attending to radio of TV –more channels, better Internet access, among broadcasts. There was an attempt to respond to the others–. Currently, there is a significant number of TV information needs of the industry, first through studies broadcasts in high definition (HD) by air, cable and face-to-face or by telephone; then, by applying the satellite, and these contents can even be downloaded coincidental techniques developed by Gallup in the on a hard disk for later review (CNTV, 2011a; Santiago 1930s, and finally, by studies of consumers panels that & González, 2011). informed their behavior through the use of diaries In this scenario, the television audiences (Navarro, 2010). However, it was not until the 1940s measurement faces a great challenge. Multiple changes when the first “electronic” studies of radio audiences converge in a short time, forcing to rethink the way in began in the United States, using behavior recording which such measurement is made. In this regard, it is devices. For this purpose, “measuring apparatus” CUADERNOS.INFO VOLº 33 / DECEMBER 2013 / ISSN 0719-3661 / E-VERSION: WWW.CUADERNOS.INFO / ISSN 0719-367X 54 BUZETA, C. y MOYANO, P. The Television Audience Measurement in the Digital Age were designed making possible to know if a particular CURRENT MEASUREMENT OF TV AUDIENCES station was being tuned into a home. These firstset Today, more than 70 countries use the audimeter meter devices only recognized the turning on/off of technology to measure the audience of television the equipments and registered the tuned signal, and (Santiago & González, 2011). Since 1992, in Chile the were not able to identify people who were part of the television audiences study is conducted electronically audience (Navarro, 2010). Other countries, like Brazil, by Time Ibope (subsidiary of IBOPE Media Brazil) promptly began their radio measurements based on through people meters in its Overnight and Realtime similar technologies (Instituto Brasileiro de Opinião variants (Martínez & Masot, 1993). Originally focused Pública e Estatística [IBOPE], 2012). on the metropolitan area of the country, the study Already in the 1950s and 1960s, when television has been enhanced to represent a larger number of became the mass media par excellence, the knowledge people belonging to other regional contexts. Thus, gained from the radio measurement was transferred and unlike those early years, today it has an urban to the new media, with similar limitations: it was only sample of 600 households and 2,400 individuals in possible to