RAJAR Extends Ipsos smartphone Trial

UK radio research body RAJAR has commissioned Ipsos MediaCT to extend its Radio Listener Panel for a further year, as it continues to evaluate the agency's MediaCell smartphone measurement system.

MediaCell uses software on an existing mobile phone handset to 'listen' for codes inserted by a radio station at the point of transmission. These 'digital fingerprints' are inaudible to the human ear and identify the station, platform and time a respondent is listening.

The London-based panel was initially set up in Q4 2011 to run for 12 months, and the BBC, Global Radio, Bauer Media, Absolute Radio, GMG and UTV Media all participated in the trial by placing encoders in their stations.

Following the review, RAJAR has also commissioned Ipsos MediaCT to expand the scope of the project, in order to understand the longer term viability MediaCell has in delivering additional listener behaviour and audience diagnostics.

Jerry Hill, CEO of RAJAR, comments: 'MediaCell, when combined with our existing audience survey, has the potential to provide valuable insight to programme producers. We will be working over the coming year with IPSOS and the station research and programming teams to determine what the device is capable of.'

MediaCell Commercial Director Jim Ford says RAJAR's decision to take joint ownership of the panel will enable his firm to further its understanding of what the device can deliver to the radio market.

RAJAR (Radio Joint Audience Research), which is wholly owned by the BBC and the RadioCentre, is online at: www.rajar.co.uk , while Ipsos is on the web at: www.ipsos.com .