Upgrades and New Manager for Arbitron PPMs

Arbitron has been awarded three new patents for its Portable People Meters (PPMs), allowing the TV audience measurement system to collect data about the origin of a broadcast, when it is viewed, and any accompanying ads. The company has also appointed Anthony Sciulli to a new position to oversee PPM manufacture.

The PPM uses a passive audience measurement device - about the size of a small cell phone - to track consumer exposure to media, including TV, radio and cinema. It detects inaudible codes embedded in content viewed by the PPM user, and then sends them to a central computer.

The new patents allow the PPM system to handle multiple layers of codes. This means the system can track, for example, the network from which the programme originated, the station broadcasting the program, and the specific commercials aired during the program.

The multi-layer codes also include a time stamp that shows when a program was originally broadcast. This allows the PPM to determine whether a broadcast was time-shifted by the viewer or delayed by the network.

PPMs are being used in Arbitron and VNU's 'Project Apollo' pilot, which is collecting multimedia and purchase information from a sample of more than 6,000 households.

Pierre Bouvard, President of PPMs at Arbitron, explains the benefits of the new technology: 'As radio and TV broadcasters embrace multiple paths for delivering content, the PPM can tell the industry not only whether they have reached a consumer, but also which delivery technology is getting the job done.'

In the new role of VP for Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management for PPMs, Sciulli will work to establish manufacturing and supply chain strategies. He will oversee the company's relationship with more than 100 suppliers in a dozen countries, to ensure that PPMs are made efficiently, and that the company can meet demand.

Sciulli has more than 20 years' experience in manufacturing operations, supply chain management and distribution. Most recently, he was VP and General Manager of Corporate Imaging, a company that provides business management, investor and public relations services. While there, he centralised and refocused the procurement function for a portable computer manufacturer.

Bouvard says Sciulli's 'diverse background and track record in developing manufacturing systems' will be a vital resource to help grow the company's domestic and international PPM businesses.

The company is online at www.arbitron.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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