GfK Television Contract in Ukraine

GfK's Ukraine-based subsidiary, GfK-USM has signed a contract with the Television Industry Committee, an association of the major TV stations in the Ukraine, including ICTV, Inter, Novy Kanal, STB and the country's three leading advertising agencies, DMB&B, Effect Integrated Media and Provid/BBDO. From 2003, GfK-USM will initially measure TV ratings in the Ukraine for a period of four years.

The Ukrainian Television Industry Committee has commissioned GfK-USM to set up a TV panel and measure TV ratings for Ukrainian TV stations and programmes. The contract resulted from a tender for which several other research institutes submitted a bid alongside GfK. Initially, the TV panel will comprise 1,200 selected representative households in cities with a population of 50,000 or over, which need to have a telephone line. From the third year onwards, the sample of households will be increased to 1,500. The first term of the contract, which is worth almost EUR 6 million, is four years.

The decision in favour of GfK-USM was based largely on GfK's high level of methodical and technological expertise and the many years of experience in continuous TV research, which GfK companies have gained over the years in six European countries, i.e. Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland.

The contract for the Ukraine covers the full range of services in the value added chain relating to modern TV ratings, from setting up and maintaining a panel to the use of metering technology, right through to data analysis.

'Confidence in the ratings is of fundamental importance. I am very pleased to see that the national TV stations and leading advertising agencies agreed on setting up a joint TV panel, which will function as the 'currency' in terms of reach and programmes in the Ukraine,' said Vlad Ryashin, Chairman of the Management Board of TV station Inter and member of the Television Industry Committee. Alexander Fedorishin, Director of GfK-USM, added 'Creating a representative TV panel is a real challenge and we are proud that the Committee showed confidence in us by entrusting us with this task. With the help of experts from different GfK companies with a track record in measuring TV ratings and developing the associated technology, we will use our best efforts to prove that the Committee was right in trusting us.'

GfK-USM is a subsidiary of GfK AG based in the Ukraine. The company is active in the Ad Hoc Research, Consumer Tracking and Media segments.

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