UAE measuring TV-watching habits

The initial results of the recently launched TV audience measurement initiative has proved positive trends in the in the study of application of the project for the measurement of TV audience in the United Arab Emirates.
The National Media Council (NMC) and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) were jointly apprised of the findings by the consulting firm appointed to implement the project. The NMC and TRA launched the TV Audience Measurement initiative as a critical step towards greater development of the UAE's media industry after a series of workshops and industry consultations held earlier this year. During these discussions, broadcasters, advertisers and members of the general public expressed the need for an independent, NMC-led initiative to establish improved transparency in TV audience measurement. The Steering Committee for the project took a comprehensive overview of the first phase, which lasted for eight weeks, during which interviews with more than 100 key players in the field of Information including officials from government and television stations as well as with advertisers, viewers, experts and others were conducted. Phase I aims to provide the basic rules to move forward in implementing the project to measure the percentage of television viewers in the UAE by offering proposals on aspects of restructuring and corporate governance, cost as well as technical regulations and quality control. A detailed implementation plan covering all activities and time periods necessary to the launch of the system to measure the rate of TV viewers was also explained. The officials at the NMC and TRA appreciated the media organisations for their strong support for the project and expressed satisfaction over the method in which the preliminary study was prepared. The coming weeks will witness more meetings to determine the plan and goals of each phase in preparation for the implementation of the project. The participation of key stakeholders has been earmarked as the critical success factor for the initiative. Although industry groups have been pursuing such alignment for some time, the NMC and TRA's involvement is expected to catalyze the process, which will have far-reaching, positive impact on major multinational broadcasters and advertisers. © Copyright Emirates News Agency (WAM) 2009.