The rating conundrum

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published: 18 December 2013 |  Daud Malik

The Senate discussed the rating of TV channels, revealing Media Logic as the only company using people's meter technology. The lack of meters in Balochistan and the roles of different survey companies were highlighted during the session.

Summary

ISLAMABAD:  The rating of TV channels remains a bit of a mystery and somewhat controversial in Pakistan.

To some extent it was solved during the 99^th session of Senate this month when Pervaiz Rashid, Minister for Information, Broadcasting and National Heritage, told the House that only one company – Media Logic – based in Lahore is using the “people’s meter” technology to rate television programs/advertisements.

During the question hour, Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party’s Senator Abdul Rauf Lala had asked the minister about the number of “rating meters” for TV channels presently installed in the country” and the number of these meters in Balochistan, especially in Quetta. The Senator also demanded the city-wise breakup of such meters.

Answering the question, Pervaiz Rashid first clarified that measuring the rating of TV channels is not the “regulatory subject” of PEMRA. “At present, the minister added there are three independent private rating/research companies in Pakistan - Gallup Survey of Pakistan, Media Logic, Lahore and PTCL.

Gallup  Survey  conducts  channels’  rating  and  broadcasting  surveys  for  electronic media clients under paid assignments. It follows traditional diary method for door-to-door survey after selecting sample size.

PTCL  also  conducts  commercial  rating  of  channels' viewership,  programs and advertisements but their scope of rating surveys is limited to their Smart TV subscribers only. PTCL, the minister said,  has  about  40,000  subscribers  in  the  country  including  215  in  Quetta.

“Rating of TV channel programs/advertisements etc through people  meters  technology  is  being  done  by  Media  Logic, Lahore  only,” the minister said. The  main clients of these companies are TV channel operators and the advertising companies.

The House was told that the  main clients/users of these companies are TV channel operators and the advertising companies. “PEMRA  too,  as  and  when  needed  for  regulatory  purposes,  acquires  report  from  these private companies on payment,” according to the reply.

Going further into details, the minister said Media  Logic  holds  the  major  market share as most of the TV channels and advertisers rely on its report.

Media Logic is operating  since  2007  and  have  panel  of  4,000  people  in  nine  major  cities  from where the data is collected. The cities are: Karachi,  Hyderabad, Sukkur, Multan, Lahore, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad and Peshawar.

The  city-wise  break-up  of  sample  size  (people  meter), according to Media Logic, is: Karachi 1,300, Lahore 900, Rawalpindi/ Islamabad 600 whereas, there are 200 meters each in rest of six cities.

The Senate was told that the company is in the process  of  expanding  their  monitoring/tracking network to 20 cities by January/February 2014.

However, Media  Logic did not have any people meter installed  in Balochistan or Quetta city at the moment mainly because of the law and order situation.

KEY POINTS:

• Media Logic is the sole operator using people's meter technology in Pakistan.
• PEMRA does not regulate TV channel ratings but acquires reports periodically.
• There are three main independent research companies conducting ratings in Pakistan.
• Media Logic plans to expand its monitoring network to 20 cities by early 2014.
• Current rating methods exclude Balochistan due to security concerns.