UAE Opts for 'People-Meter' TV Measurement

In the UAE (United Arab Emirates), the National Media Council (NMC) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) are working together to introduce the country's first metered measurement of TV audiences.

The partner organisations have been assessing options for introducing the TV Audience Measurement (TAM) system, which they say will allow advertisers in the region to gain access to accurate data to prepare their media planning.

For the system selected, thousands of randomly selected TV sets will be equipped with an electronic box that monitors when the set is switched on or off, and what is being watched. Commercial companies will be invited to submit proposals for the installation, management and financing of the 'people-meter' scheme, while the partners will play a regulatory role in the selection process.

'Given the current economic climate, accurate information is of increasing value and the NMC and TRA have decided that the time is right for a new layer of TV audience measurement,' explained an NMC spokesman.

In the last few years, there has been dramatic growth in the media industry in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. In 2007, total measured expenditure on ads in the region reached around US $8bn - a 20% increase over the 2006 figure - TV ads took 43% of the regional total.

The TRA is online at www.tra.gov.ae .

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