Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) will roll out a new radio measurement system from 2014 after awarding the tender to GfK, replacing the current Nielsen system.
The new measurement will include mobile data capture and online recruitment and data capture. CRA will also introduce an e-diary system to replace the current paper ones. The first survey period in 2014 will aim for 20% of participants to be surveyed online. The industry has previously trialled e-diaries.
An online audience behaviour panel will also be established with 5,000 respondents which will report quarterly. It will examine trends and issues such as consumption of radio via the internet, platform usage, the role of radio, mobile and headphone listening.
There will continue to be eight survey periods throughout the year.
CRA chief executive Joan Warner said: “This is an exciting time for the radio industry and marks a new era for the future of radio audience measurement in Australia, ensuring currency continuity, a multi-mode approach to data collection including plans for the testing of electronic measurement enhancements.
“As part of the new relationship, GfK will utilise their worldwide expertise and work closely with the industry to conduct leading edge and innovative trials of electronic devices in the first two years of the contract.
“Australia already has one of the most robust and reliable radio audience measurement systems in the world and the new partnership with GfK will bring even further improvements to this world class system. It should also be remembered that radio's major strengths – its mobility, ubiquity and reach into all situations – conversely, provide some of the major challenges in developing a robust and reliable radio audience measurement system.”
CRA is also committed to re-examine electronic measurement within the first two years of its contract with GfK.
Warner added: “At this stage, no electronic device has proved to be reliable or robust enough as the sole measure of radio audience measurement given the scale and complexity of radio's requirements. However, the industry is committed to investigating with GfK in the first 24 months whether there is a device that may be integrated into a multimodal approach and would be feasible and cost effective.”
CRA started the tender process for a new measurement system in September last year. Along with CRA members, the Australian Broadcasting Association, the Media Federation of Australia and the Australian Association of National Advertisers were participants on the tender committee. Nielsen's contract runs until the end of 2013.
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