First Agency Client for New TNS Set Top Box Service

TNS Media Research has signed up a first client for its new digital audience measurement service based on anonymous set top box data. Media and communications agency Starcom USA will receive information from 300,000 digital subscribers in LA.

The data, from subscribers of Charter Communications, will help Starcom advance its understanding of the viewing habits of digital consumers, both in terms of general viewing and programming, and commercials. Starcom will integrate TNS MI ad occurrence data with Charter viewing data to analyze and evaluate second-by-second commercial ratings and behavioral information.

TNS uses its InfoSys planning system to offer next-day analysis of Charter's data, including day part and program studies, target group studies, lead in/lead out studies, duplication analyses, minute-by-minute flow studies and competitive reports. The agency supports TV audience services in 30 countries around the world, including Canada, China, Russia, Spain, UK and the USA, in some cases using Arbitron's PPM.

Chris Boothe, President / Chief Activation Officer, Starcom USA, says he is excited by the potential of the partnership. 'The advertising industry has long called for the emergence of second-by-second viewing data, and as such the TNS research is an invaluable tool for understanding the new digital consumer.'

George Shababb, COO of TNS Media Research, comments: 'We are pleased to add Starcom to our expanding client roster and look forward to providing them with critical insights about consumer viewing habits by leveraging the new measurement opportunities presented by digital set-top box data.'

Starcom USA is a full-service media division of Starcom MediaVest Group (www.smvgroup.com ), one of the world's largest media communications agencies. TNS is online at www.tns-global.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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