Hybrid Radio Measure to Launch in Australia

Australian broadcast industry body Commercial Radio & Audio will introduce a new hybrid audience measurement system for its GfK metropolitan radio surveys, from March next year, and describes it as 'the most significant investment and change to [radio measurement] in Australia since ratings began'.

CRA is the country's peak radio industry body, promoting the effectiveness of radio and audio to advertisers, managing national, metropolitan and regional audience measurement surveys, setting standards and intervening on regulatory and legislative matters. The new system will base radio ratings predominantly on electronic diaries, plus live radio streaming data obtained from station web server logs and the GfK Sensic tagging system. Streaming data will be verified by and integrated with data from panels of respondents wearing GfK's MediaWatch wearable meter.

CRA Chief Executive Ford Ennals says the new approach, described as 'the first iteration of the new hybrid methodology', will provide more robust and granular listening data for agencies and advertisers and enable a deeper view of the size of the streaming audience'. He adds: 'We also plan to provide additional information on podcast listening by including podcast consumption questions into the lifestyle questionnaire that is part of the diary. These insights will provide information such as podcasting listening frequency, time of day and other data'.

GfK Media Measurement Director Deb Hishon (pictured), interviewed at the body's Audio Unlimited event, said: 'We are excited to work with the radio industry on Radio360, a project that has seen extensive data science applied and rigorous testing. We are using every available measurement tool to ensure the system is designed to future-proof radio audience measurement for the Australian market. GfK's Radio360 provides users, for the first time ever, the ability to analyse and plan against radio streaming and linear audiences; it also opens the door to new audience insights into listening for an event or specific period, such as the summer period which is not measured under the current system'.

CRA recently appointed John Musgrove, previously Head of Insights and Research at broadcaster Southern Cross Austereo (SCA) in the new role of Head of Research.

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