TNS and Arbitron Sign License for PPM Use

Arbitron Inc. and TNS have signed a license agreement giving TNS the right to use the Portable People Meter (PPM) system and its audio encoding technology for radio and television audience measurement in selected countries in Europe, Asia-Pacific, the Middle East and Africa.

The agreement formalises existing relationships - Arbitron and TNS have been working together to market Arbitron's PPM around the world for nearly four years.

The PPM system uses a pager-size audience measurement device to track television viewing (including cable and satellite) and radio listening. The PPM is carried throughout the day by survey participants, tracking the television programs they watch and the radio stations they listen to by detecting inaudible codes embedded by broadcasters. At the end of the day, the meter is placed in a docking station that extracts the channel codes and sends the audience data to a central computer.

According to Steve Morris, Arbitron's president and CEO, the agreement represents 'another important step in establishing the Arbitron Portable People Meter as a future-proof solution for tracking television and radio audiences around the world'.

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

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