Nielsen Lands Ukraine TV Deal Following GfK Probe

The Ukraine Television Industry Committee (TIC) has awarded Nielsen a new audience measurement contract, apparently cutting short an agreement with previous incumbent GfK Ukraine after unproven allegations that the latter had bribed panellists.

GfK Ukraine, which had managed the national contract for the past ten years, signed an agreement in 2011 to provide TV ratings data until the end of 2014. However, last May, Ru.Music TV channel Director Rudolf Kirnos claimed that between 5% and 8% of the information from GfK's TV panel was 'fabricated' as a result of the agency bribing members of certain households.

In response, GfK brought in corporate risk assessment firm Kroll, which after conducting a statistical audit of GfK Ukraine's survey methodology, found no proof that its employees were involved in the claimed activities. Instead, Kroll found that a number of households have 'non-typical' habits for television viewing. Despite these findings, Nielsen has reportedly been awarded the new contract without going through a formal tender process.

The new service will measure what Ukrainian audiences watch through their TVs, mobile devices and online, while also providing details about what the country's consumers buy. Using Nielsen peoplemeters, live and time-shifted TV ratings will be collected from a national sample of 3,740 homes, chosen to represent the full demographics of the country - a 50% increase on the current panel size. Data is expected to be delivered to subscribers next January.

Oleg Popenko (pictured), Head of TIC, comments: 'Ukrainian TV markets develop dynamically. The same applies to the requirements for audience measurement. I believe that the use of modern approaches will satisfy TV research user's demands for more accurate and reliable data.'

Web sites: www.itk.ua and www.nielsen.com .