Nielsen Loses Australian Radio Contract to GfK

After 66 years delivering Australia's radio ratings, Nielsen Media has lost the contract to GfK, to whom national industry body Commercial Radio Australia (CRA) has awarded a three-year deal starting next January.

The new contract will include mobile data capture and online recruitment for the first time, as well as an e-diary for computers, tablets and mobile phones, synchronised across the Internet and compatible with all operating systems. From the first survey in 2014, there will be a minimum of 20% of survey participants recruited online and completing the e-diary.

GfK will also launch a new radio audience behaviour panel examining issues for the radio and media industries, including consumption of radio via the Internet; platform usage trends; the role of radio in people's lives; mobile and headphone listening. This panel will comprise 5,000 respondents per year with quarterly reporting of key insights.

Prior to next January, the agency will conduct parallel pilot testing to ensure validity of the new processes and multi-modal data capture methods, as well as comparability with the existing currency.

CRA Chief Exec Joan Warner (pictured) said the new contract will ensure currency continuity and a multi-mode approach to data collection, and includes plans for the testing of electronic measurement enhancements. 'At this stage, no electronic device has proved to be reliable or robust enough, 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 both feasible and cost effective,' she added.

GfK won the contract after a five-month tender process involving the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC), the Media Federation of Australia (MFA), and the Australian Association of National Advertisers (AANA).

The agency currently operates radio ratings - including an electronic diary - in several countries, including the Netherlands and Germany.

Web sites: www.commercialradio.com.au and www.gfk.com .