MRC’s strategy is to deliver the KSA TAM system, which is set to transform Saudi Arabia’s media landscape by providing Gold Standard audience media consumption data that will be used by TV broadcasters, digital publishers, agencies, and advertisers.
Saudi Arabia’s Media Rating Company (MRC) has announced plans for a phased rollout of its much-awaited TV and Video Audience Measurement (TAM) service in partnership with Nielsen in the Kingdom. The announcement was made at the Westin Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina in Dubai by Eng. Bandar Al Mashhadi, CEO of MRC.
Al Mashhadi outlined MRC’s five-year plan, which will see the service go live in July ’22 with an initial focus on data for streaming services and other digital devices, gaming measurement by November ’22, media data for consumption on various devices by July ’23, radio measurement details by January ’24 and print measurement slated for January ’25.
The solution will be implemented in partnership with global audience measurement and data provider Nielsen and has been licensed by Saudi Arabia’s General Commission for Audio Visual (GCAM) and Advertising Industry Board.
Eng. Al Mashhadi, who previously headed the Technical Committee overseeing the development of the initiative, said: “It is an honour to be here today and share details about this groundbreaking TAM solution, which will contribute to the growth of a dynamic media and broadcast sector in Saudi Arabia in line with the goals of Vision 2030. Audience behaviours are evolving rapidly as the Kingdom continues its remarkable transformation, making it more important than ever to introduce robust TV measurement technology. We are proud to partner with Nielsen to gain a deeper understanding of Saudi viewers’ preferences and deliver accurate data that will help to drive effective, highly targeted campaigns.”
Nielsen currently measures TV audiences in more than 40 markets globally, more than any other international TAM provider, commented Sarah Messer, Managing Director, Nielsen Media MENAP.
In her address, Messer stated that 2,000 sample households representative of the entire 35m population of Saudi Arabia including expatriates from KSA’s 24 cities will be chosen for TAM. She added that anyone who is part of the marketable population from the age of four and above will be considered as part of the sampling although domestic workers will not be included. She also stated that the measurement was comparable to established TAM markets.
Nielsen, which established an office in Saudi Arabia, for this purpose is working closely with the General Authority for Statistics (GA Stats) to ensure that households are chosen as accurately as possible.
The operational set-up for the service is making progress, with meter installations taking place in households across the Kingdom. Nanometers, claimed to be the latest metering technology, will be installed in each home and will be able to capture data from eight people in a household. The solution employs cutting-edge technology to deliver a precise picture of the size and demographics of television audiences and reveal how people engage with content. It is anticipated that the initial batch of data from the first 1,000 participating households will be made available by Ramadan 2022, with the project set to go fully live by July 2022 providing the market with data from 2,000 households.
“TAM data can give you the ability to make data-led decisions,” commented Messer. “The key viewing metrics will be live, VOSDAL (viewed on the same day as live) and TSV +7 (time-shifted viewing within seven days). The two technologies we have for measurement are state-of-the-art and very new so we expect to provide a lot of new data.”
Al Mashhadi commented that MRC is committed to integrating the latest innovations in consumer electronics to ensure it remains at the forefront of measuring audience behaviours. KSA TAM is audited by 3M3A, which audits similar projects in more than 10 other countries and is supervised by a technical committee representing key industry stakeholders. For the first time in the Kingdom, the solution will include a digital measurement that captures OTT streaming services over home Wi-Fi, providing insights on viewing habits across both linear and digital services. He also encouraged clients in the audience to engage and interact with the tech committee that is hoping to include more people from the media industry in building the solution.
The event concluded with a panel discussion examining the project’s seismic impact on the Saudi media sector.
MRC intends to host a launch event in Saudi Arabia with key guests and media representatives to officially kick off the project in Q1 2022.
