Taiwan Ratings Second Choice

The New Media User Lab was launched Monday as part of efforts to provide a second choice for Taiwan's widely used television audience survey by AGB Nielsen. Co-organized by local industry group Cloud & Connect TV Forum (CCTF) and the state-run Institute for Information Industry, the new platform is aimed at regularly offering audience rating surveys on a wider range of media, such as digital TVs, connected TVs and smart TVs. Some 66 local companies, including cable TV operators, academic institutes, content providers and media agencies, have applied to join the lab, which uses set-top boxes to rapidly collect samples through cloud computing technology, the CCTF said. "TV operators will need real-time analysis of audience ratings. They cannot wait days or weeks until you finish your work," James Cheng, chief executive officer of the CCTF, said at a press conference. The lab has established a sample pool of 150,000 users nationwide, and the numbers are expected to grow to 300,000 next year with more cable system operators joining the platform, he said. In contrast, AGB Nielsen has been providing television audience measurement data in Taiwan since 1994 based on a panel of over 1,800 TV households, or more than 6,500 individuals, according to the company's website. AGB Nielsen said its data provides a guideline for advertisers and media agencies in planning TV campaigns and evaluating commercial activities and performance. Minister without Portfolio Simon Chang, a former Google Inc. executive, said at the press conference that the protection of personal information is important when conducting audience rating surveys through the digitalized cable TV systems. There should also be a fair third party to verify the credibility of the survey if TV operators and advertisers want to use these data as a major reference to plan TV campaigns and commercial activities, he said. According to a study by the Institute for Information Industry, 30.8 percent of the people in Taiwan will use their smartphones or tablets when they are watching TV, showing an increasing demand for searching extra information or sharing thoughts on social networks. The institute said it will conduct research to help the lab's members understand the real behavior of the audience and help them design new business models in the era of digital convergence. (By Jeffrey Wu)