TV research

The need for reliable and easily accessible data on television audiences to be used in planning program schedules, planning advertising, and selling air time is great. Continuous growth in the number of broadcasters requires careful planning of a schedule, and increasing complexity and cost of TV broadcasting requires more accountability.

Television Industry Committee is based on the principles of the International Joint Industry Committee set forth in the international WFA / EACA standards for organization of audience research.

Joint Industry Committee (JIC) is an organization where researches are ordered by the Committee that represents all stakeholders: broadcasters, advertisers and agencies. The Committee has all the data and takes all decisions. Members express their opinions through participation in the General Meeting.

The advantage of this system is the best price and quality with very high common expenses. Also, this system is the most reliable form of research because it has the largest number of stakeholders who check all the technical procedures.

Participation of the whole industry (broadcasters, advertisers, and media agencies) also means that data are available to all users. Finally, this system is the most likely promoter of innovations and improvements in television audience measurements in general, since joint industry committees are more likely to be the best providers of data than any other type of organization.

The World Federation of Advertisers (WFA) and the European Association of Communication Agencies (EACA) consider joint industry committees as the most effective method of conducting television audience research. Joint Industry Committees ensure all users some control of technical documentation and management and equal access to data while minimizing and controlling costs.

Since 2002, the Television Industry Committee has been the largest industrial customer of television panel research.

Realizing its responsibility to the television market, and for organization of a balanced (reliable, consistent and acceptable to all users) system of sociological research of the Ukrainian television audience, TIC has created special structural units:

• Expert Division - Technical Committee, which includes the main Ukrainian experts of television and advertising industry, whose professional activities are directly related to the analysis of TV panel; and
• Analytical Service, consisting of regular media analysts.

Television Industry Committee reviews feedback on the TV Panel’s work.
Since its foundation the Television Industry Committee has been announcing tenders for TV audience research:

• In 2002, TIC held the first tender for TV audience research for the 2003-2007 period, the winner of which was GfK Ukraine company;
• In 2006, GfK Ukraine won the second tender for TV audience research - for the 2008-2012 period;
• In 2006, Communication Alliance won the tender for the provision of television networks and advertising monitoring services for the 2008-2012 period.

Through membership in international organizations in the field of media measurement, namely:

• European Media Research Organisations (EMRO), Germany;
• International Joint Industry Committees (I-JIC), France;

TIC ensures television audience research compliance with international quality standards and modern technological and methodological developments in this area.

Also, CESP audit in 2008 showed that “CESP considers the GfK-Ukraine’s system of television research satisfactory in the following areas: ...compliance with international standards “General Principles of Television Audience Measurement” (GGTAM) drafted by the Audience Research Methods Group (ARM) in 1999”.

GGTAM - Global Guidelines for Television Audience Measurement (general principles of television audience measurement) - international general principles financed and published by EBU in cooperation with the Audience Research Methods (ARM) - a group comprising representatives of nine international trade associations or groups of professionals: ARF (USA); Canadian ARF; EAAA (now EACA); EGTA; EMRO; ESOMAR; GEAR; PETR; WFA.