People meter for N.Z. homes?

Press, 30 September 1988, Page 11

People meter for N.Z. homes?

PA Auckland The spectacle of television broadcasters sweating over their ratings may soon become a reality in New Zealand if A. C. Nielsen of Canada has its way, the Auckland “Star” reports. The international market research company, together with Dun and Bradstreet, plans to sell a research concept called the People Meter to television broadcast networks and advertising agencies in New Zealand. The local television market was ready for detailed research into television viewing patterns, Mr Everett C. Holmes, vice-president, corporate affairs, for A. C. Nielsen, said. New television channels were coming on-stream and the impact of the video cassette recorder in New Zealand, which was now found in 50 per cent of homes, had yet to be properly assessed, he said. A number of homes are selected for the meter test. In each a computer monitor is fitted to the inside of the television. This records what the television is doing every minute; what time it is switched on and off and which channel is being watched. A second pushbutton device is attached to the top of the television which the viewer activates when he or she starts watching. In it the viewer records his/her age, gender and time they started and stopped watching. Every additional viewer walking into the room records their own details. The day’s information is fed into Nielsen’s central computer through a home phone system.