Commercial Radio Australia selects GfK for audience measurement

GfK is taking over the contract from Nielsen Media, which has been responsible for radio audience measurement in Australia for more than 60 years.

This is GfK’s first audience measurement contract in the APAC region, marking its expansion of audience measurement and media research outside Europe.

“GfK was chosen by the industry to move radio audience measurement forward in the immediate future due to its extensive international experience, reputation for research excellence, and innovative but rigorous approaches to the measurement challenges ahead,” said Joan Warner, CEO of CRA.

Gary Lamb, managing director of GfK Australia, said the company will work with CRA to future-proof radio audience measurement by bringing innovations to recruitment and data-collection techniques, new software for data analysis and advertising optimisation, and fresh perspectives on listening behaviour.

The research company said key new features of the radio audience measurement include mobile data capture, online recruitment of participants and online data capture.

GfK will take a multi-mode approach to data collection and include plans for the testing of electronic measurement enhancements. It also includes the introduction of an e-diary for computers, tablets and mobile phones, synchronised across the internet and compatible with all operating systems.

Further parallel pilot testing will be conducted throughout 2013 to ensure validity of the new data-capture methods and comparability with the existing currency, according to the company. From the first survey in 2014, a minimum of 20 per cent of survey participants will be recruited online and asked to complete the e-diary.

The contract also includes real-time management and monitoring of the personal placement of diaries to ensure that population potentials for demographic groups that are difficult to reach are represented appropriately in the sample.

CRA is the national industry body representing Australia's commercial radio broadcasters, with 260 members, representing 99 per cent of commercial radio licensees on air in the country. It’s launching a Gold Standard for radio analysis software in 2014 that will allow for certification of software used for radio audience measurement reporting in future.

GfK will also launch a new panel comprising at least 5,000 members to track audience behaviour of radio listeners. It will go beyond the standard surveys and examine key issues for the radio and media industries including consumption of radio via the internet, platform usage trends, the role of radio in people’s lives, and mobile and headphone listening. The major insights will be reported on a quarterly basis.