MUMBAI: Nielsen Media Research has won a new, seven-year contract to provide television audience ratings in Sweden with effect from September 2005, the terms of which will run through to August 2012.
In an official release, Nielsen said that the Swedish industry television company, Mediamätning I Skandinavien AB (MMS), which is owned by all the major TV companies and media agencies in Sweden, awarded the contract following a thorough evaluation of Nielsen Media Research and other service providers. Nielsen Media Research has provided TV ratings in Sweden to MMS since 1993.
"We had excellent submissions for this tender, and we took great care in evaluating them to find the best TV Audience Measurement System in the world," said MMS CEO Hans Öberg. "Overall, Nielsen, who is our present supplier, provided the best solution. As the television viewing environment becomes ever more complex and more challenging to measure, we are pleased to be continuing our relationship with Nielsen."
"Against stiff competition, Nielsen presented us with a highly compelling case to retain the television audience measurement contract for Sweden. Nielsen demonstrated to us an all-round ability to successfully evolve television audience measurement in Sweden, recognising the technological challenges that lie ahead. It is imperative for the Swedish television industry that we are able to keep pace with the way peoples viewing is changing, and that viewing on all platforms is measured correctly. We have absolutely no doubt that Nielsen will continue to provide this service to the very high standard that it has done in Sweden since 1993," added Öberg.
Nielsen Media Research International chairman and CEO Robert L McCann said, "We are extremely pleased with this decision, the clear message it sends about the quality of our services, and the fact that we will be able to extend what has been a highly successful, 10-year-plus partnership with the Swedish broadcast industry. The decision reaffirms the faith and trust the industry places in our service, and underscores our unwavering commitment to providing the highest-quality, most reliable TV audience information possible in Sweden and around the world."
Nielsen Media Research Managing Director Europe Charles Fulton was quoted in an official report saying, "The Swedish television industry required a service with the flexibility to meet its changing needs in the coming years. As our relationship has shown over the past decade, Nielsen Media Research proved to be just the company they were looking for."
Under the new agreement, Nielsen Media Research will introduce a comprehensive range of measures, which will continue to protect the sound television ratings currency that has already been established in Sweden, through the lifetime of the new contract, offered the release.
In particular these would include:
a) An enhanced sample design with a 20 per cent larger sample, bringing the reporting sample up to 1,200 homes.
b) Advanced, non-intrusive metering which includes the new Nielsen S6000 meter, and
c) New measurement technologies founded on the proprietary Nielsen Active/Passive system.
"Our focus has been to offer greater reliability of reporting for smaller audiences; encourage improved panel compliance and to provide the most complete digital measurement available. Also, the industrys decision to renew with Nielsen means that broadcasters, advertisers and agencies will have an uninterrupted service through to at least 2012, making continuous trend analysis possible during and after the transition to the new contract," stated Fulton.
