TNS Extends Audience Measurement in China

TNS's joint venture CSM Media Research has been given the go-ahead to undertake TV and radio audience measurement in China for a further 10 years.

The original contract was awarded in 1997, when CSM Media Research developed 51 urban sampling points. Today it has 231 panels - one covering China at the national level, with the others covering 27 provinces, the 4 municipal cities of Beijing, Chongqing, Shanghai and Tianjin, 198 other cities, and the Hong Kong SAR (www.mrweb.com/drno/news4260.htm ). These panels are equipped with TNS PeopleMeters in 47 cities, and there are plans to extend the number of cities covered to 58 later this year. By the end of 2007, CSM Media Research had installed 18,000 PeopleMeters in individual households across China.

For radio audience measurement, the firm is testing Arbitron's Portable People Meter (PPM) in Beijing, in the run-up to the 2008 Olympics (www.mrweb.com/drno/news7463.htm ).

TNS CEO David Lowden describes the contract as the largest TV audience measurement operation in China, and the largest continuous operation of its kind in the world.

Paul Wang, MD of CSM Media Research commented: 'China's large and rapidly advancing media industry has benefited enormously from our TV and radio audience measurement operation. Comprehensive audience measurement data has provided excellent support to a variety of brands, products and services seeking to build their share in China's consumer market.'

CSM Media Research, established in 1996, is a joint venture between TNS and its Chinese partner, CTR Market Research. The firms are online at www.csm.com.cn , www.tnsglobal.com and www.ctrchina.cn.

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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