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First generation mobile telephony systems using analogue signals, but with the digitisation of the control link between the mobile phone and the cell (transmission) sites.
Extension of 2G systems through use of 2.5G protocols providing additional features such as GPRS packet-switched connections and enhanced data rates.
Second generation mobile telephony systems offering better quality at lower costs to the consumer through the digitisation of the signal and supporting voice, low speed data connections and short messaging services. GSM is the most widely used 2G standard.
Third generation mobile telephony systems as result of further progress in cellular transmission technology leading to faster bit rates. 3G system capabilities include provision of high-speed data transmission and supporting multimedia applications that including mobile TV video services, video-conferencing and Internet access. The main differentiating feature of 3G from earlier mobile technologies is its ability to support video services.
4G (Fourth-Generation Communications System) is the next, as yet not formally defined, stage in mobile communications after 3G, with LTE (Long Term Evolution) as the favourite candidate standard. The 4G vision is a comprehensive and integrated IP world, in which users can receive voice, data and streamed multimedia ?Anytime, anywhere? at very high speeds.
An organisation representing the interests of advertising agencies in the US. Also known as ?4A?s?.
From MPEG-4. Is a successor to MP3. The very high popularity of MP3 and its incorporation into a large number of players, including CD and DVD players should, however, ensure MP3 longevity for years to come.
Australian Bureau of Statistics. Australian government?s official statistical organisation responsible for conducting the census.
Percentage of homes out of the approached sample that is successfully recruited, installed and participates in the peoplemeter panel. In the case of addresses taken from an establishment or other survey, the acceptance/installation rate is calculated by multiplying the acceptance/installation rate from the approached sample (or "recruitment pool") by the response rate to the survey from which the addresses were taken. Precise operational definitions of the acceptance/installation rate can vary appreciably across different peoplemeter panels.
US term for dedicated 'public service' channels set aside by cable companies for non-discriminatory access to the network by the public, government agencies or educational institutions.
Peoplemeter measurement that registers viewer presence by means of remote control push-button handsets, where panel members are instructed to press at the beginning and end of each viewing session. Each person (family member) belonging to the panel is assigned their own button for purposes of individual identification, whilst additional buttons on the remote control handset are reserved for recording guest viewing. Today, all peoplemeter panels collecting audience data for TV advertising and programme purposes employ active measurement.
The Active/Passive Metering system actively reads video and audio codes embedded in the programme and is capable of producing audio signatures as a secondary identification method or as a back up.
User software that prevents Internet ads from being displayed.
Advertising that is downloaded to the user?s browser.
(1) Any form of Internet advertisement that is successfully served to a user?s browser. (2) Unit of measurement of Internet advertising. The total count of ad impressions denotes the number of responses from an ad delivery system to requests from user browsers, ideally recorded as late as possible in the delivery to the user?s browser in order to be closest to actual OTS (opportunity to see). A basic distinction exists between requests that are ?server initiated? and requests that are ?client initiated?. Server initiated requests proceed from the publisher?s Web content server, while client-initiated proceed from the user?s browser. Recommended procedures for ad counting differ in either case.
Request for an advertisement coming directly from a user?s browser, as recorded by the ad server.
Web server that stores and delivers online advertising to visitors at a Web site. Ad servers will also monitor the number of impressions/clicks for an ad campaign along with other recording and reporting functions.
Series of ads displayed during the user?s visit to a Web site.
Actual viewing of an ad by the user. It is not directly measurable today, but inferred from the measurement of ads called for display on the user?s computer.
Unique identifier for a computer or online site, usually a URL (Uniform Resource Locator) for a Web site or an e-mail address.
Ability of a service provider to signal from the headend or hub to a specified subscriber. The addressable functions include the ability to change a subscriber's level of service for premium channels, PPV, etc.
Image superimposed on a screen picture that provides specific information about the display, such as channel number, channel logo or time of transmission.
Advertising expenditure.
A commercial time period that is scheduled immediately preceding or following a scheduled programme on the same station in which a TV commercial spot can be placed. Opposite of an in-programme placement. Also called a break position.
A variant of DSL, ADSL is a data communication technology that enables faster data transmission over copper telephone lines than a conventional voiceband modem can provide. It does this using frequencies that are not used by a voice telephone call.
Company or other organisation purchasing commercial airtime on television for promotional purposes.
An organisation acting as an agent for a producer of goods or services (an advertiser) devoted to developing and placing advertising in order to further the acceptance of a brand product, service or idea.
Volume of advertising to which viewers are exposed. In the case of television, advertising clutter may refer to the volume of advertising spots carried by a broadcast channel. Or, it may refer to the average amount of time (typically minutes per hour) during the day/daypart in which viewers are exposed to advertising spots.
(see also )
A unit interval (e.g. 10-second, 15-second, 20-second, 30-second, etc.) containing a commercial message supplied by an advertiser for insertion in the transmissions of a TV channel.
Reception of off-air terrestrial transmissions by means of a collective aerial (MATV) or an individual household aerial that may be located (a) externally (e.g. on the roof), (b) internally and attached to the TV set or (c) internally and built in to the TV set. In some countries with large commercial MATV networks, MATV may be included under cable reception.
A notarised statement from a broadcast station that confirms the commercial actually ran at the time shown on the station's invoice.
A regional/local TV broadcast station bound by a contractual relationship with one or more networks to carry an agreed quantity of network-originated programmes and commercial announcements in parts of the schedule allocated for network programming.
A conversion figure between the base audience rating and the target audience rating. E.g. An index of 126 for target audience Adults 15-34 against a base audience of Adults 15+ means 15-34s obtained a 26% higher rating than the base average across all Adults 15+.
(see also )
Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung: Group of four (formerly six) TV station families underwriting TAM contract in Germany. AGF includes joint industry representation on the board and in the supervising committees.
Processed viewing data that have been converted into total viewing estimates (e.g. programme, commercial break, advertising spot, second-by-second, minute, 5-minute and quarter-hour etc.) and no longer contain information about specific individuals/panel homes (i.e. cannot be used for direct calculations of reach/frequency).
The cost to air/broadcast a programme.
The date of programme to be aired/broadcasted.
Computational procedure that usually involves a number of steps. For example, the "Algorithm for calculating ratings" is simply the set of sequential steps of computation for calculating ratings from the "raw" viewing data.
The transmission of audiovisual signals in which the amplitude of a transmitting wave is modulated as a function of its intensity.
Term used in the USA to refer to unique programme codes.
(see also )
Total amount of live or consolidated viewing across all channels/other sources included under total viewing.
General term for all radio frequency wave signals in the form of continuously variable quantities. Analogue signal information is superimposed on a modulated carrier wave (unlike digital signals which are made up of discrete pulses). Analogue TV channels have two carrier waves: one for audio (FM) and one for video (AM).
Another term for Advertising spot or Commercial.
(see also )
A structure or devise used to receiving or transmitting electromagnetic waves.
An advertising or media buying agency belonging to a group of agencies serving the same advertiser that has a privileged status in terms of being awarded special contracts or assignments that cover the group (e.g. media buyer negotiating commercial airtime deals with TV stations on behalf of all agencies within the group, who may have a restricted role in supplying the advertiser with supporting media planning services only).
Set-top box interface that enables the display of EPG's and other interactive applications on the TV screen.
Term used by some data suppliers that denotes the average audience across quarter-hour unit intervals.
Advertising Research Foundation: National trade association for advertising research in Canada and in the USA.
Arianna is the television ratings analysis tool of AGB Nielsen Media Research, helping broadcast researchers, agency planner/buyers and managers around the world navigate the complexities of TV ratings data within a single software environment. Arianna has been developed by AGB Nielsen Media Research, based on more than a decade of experience as a provider of proprietary television ratings analysis software. Expert understanding of, and experience in TAM, ensures comprehensive delivery of support to thousands of global users across 5 continents, in more than 30 countries.
Measure of customer revenues generated by rental and other pay services in a given period (e.g. annual, quarterly or monthly). Widely used for telephony and Internet applications, ARPU is also a standard measure employed by pay-TV services, covering channel and other (e.g. equipment, betting, etc.) subscriptions, PPV and paid for on-demand services.
Mainly used in connection with terrestrial broadcasting, analogue switch-off denotes the cessation of analogue broadcasts, to be replaced by digital broadcasts. In Europe a number of governments have set target analogue switch-off dates between 2008 and 2012.
(see also )
Ratio of width of TV picture to its height regardless of the size of the TV screen. Most conventional TV channels employ a 4:3 aspect ratio, but all HDTV, some DTV and some SDTV services employ a larger (typically 16:9) aspect ratio.
A proprietary solution for the automatic recognition of spots integrated in the AGB Nielsen Media Research TV Events system. The ASR engine scans real time the emissions digitalised from the Grabbers and stores the results in a database of recognitions. ASR works with both video and audio proprietary algorithms, to maximise the level of recognition.
The AGB Nielsen Media Research TV Events interface to insert the automatically recognised spots into the TV Events database.
Australian Subscription Television and Radio Association: Industry body representing the interests of its members by providing a unified voice on issues affecting subscription television. ASTRA represents satellite services, narrowcast television services, programme channel providers, subscription television operators, communications companies and other associate members.
US term for original TV programming that is syndicated to supported independent TV stations for a reduced or zero fee on the television back of financial support from one or more advertisers, in return for which the advertisers are granted commercial space within the programmes offered to the TV stations. The principle is similar to programme barter.
Total sum of all recorded time spent viewing (e.g. minutes) across a given period (e.g. day, week) divided by the number of individuals in the universe/population being measured. More commonly known as ATV.
(see also )
The decrease in amplitude of a signal between any two points in a circuit. Usually expressed in decibels. Attenuation is the opposite of amplification.
Term used by FCC (Federal Communications Commission) in the USA for digital television (DTV).
(see also )
Average of the total minutes viewed divided by the total individual universe.
Asosiasi TeleVisi Lokal Indonesia: An association whose members are Local TV stations in Indonesia.
Asosiasi TeleVisi Swasta Indonesia: An association whose members are Privately Owned TV stations in Indonesia.
Reach measure denoting the total number of different people (or homes) exposed to a medium ove such as a half-hour TV programme broadcast.
Supplementary data collected by some TAM systems that quantify viewer appreciation of programmes on a simple scale (e.g. from 1 = very poor to 10 = very good). TAM systems that produce AA data nearly always collect them from the installed panel sample via the meters, although they could also collect them from independent survey samples using other methods.
The profile of measured audiences to a channel, programme, etc. with respect to selected demographic and/or other variables.
A scaling factor used in the UK, to estimate some audience sizes when only homes and population data are available.
Percentage of total TV viewing across a specified time interval of a given channel, programme or other use of TV set.
The ratio of the cumulative audience to the average audience across a given period (e.g. programme, daypart).
Relating to sound used in the transmission or reception of sound.
Technique of signal identification in which the meter collects sample audio data from images displayed on the TV screen, which it matches against an array of known signals from a central reference source in order to establish the identity of the measured signals.
Spoken commentary for the benefit of visually impaired viewers that describes what is taking place on screen.
(see also )
Joint industry committee responsible for TAM data supply in Italy.
Individual or company who evaluates the TAM system and its data quality.
Availability of a commercial position/time slot in a scheduled commercial break on a given TV channel/network that is available for purchase by an advertiser.
The average number of members of a specified population (e.g. target group of individuals or households) viewing a TV channel over a given interval (e.g. programme, daypart).
The average minutes viewed per person belonging to a specified target universe/population across a selected time period.
(see also )
The average minutes viewed per person belonging to a specified target universe/population across a time interval, calculated against only those who viewed at all during that period. In contrast to average minutes per viewer, this measure covers all membe i.e. viewers and non-viewers alike.
Multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of the Video for Windows technology. AVI files contain both audio and video data in a standard container that allows simultaneous playback.
Business to business service.
A return communications pathway between users and content providers, such as an Internet connection using a modem.
(1) Backbone telecommunications pathways used for transporting traffic from central site(s) to distribution sites (viz. local exchanges) to end users, and vice versa. (2) One-to-one uplink feeds to satellite for sending broadcast TV signals to the studio.
Measure of transmission capacity that specifies the complete frequency range over which a circuit, transmission channel, or electronic system is allocated to function. Transmission channels requiring large capacity, such as digital TV channels with high picture quality, are sometimes described as "bandwidth hungry". Bandwidth may also refer to maximum channel throughput for different types of connection (measured in kbit/s or Mbit/s).
A graphical Internet advertising unit, often including links to another page or website selected by the advertiser, which the user accesses by clicking on the ad.
Broadcasters' Audience Research Board: Joint industry committee responsible for TAM data supply in the United Kingdom.
Meter installed on all TV sets within the home, generating statements of what source is being tuned to when the TV set is on, and which persons in the home have registered their presence as viewers.
(see also )
Collective term for TV and radio channels featuring in the basic entry channel packages offered by cable operators to their customers for a low subscription charge. It excludes mini-pay TV channels on more advanced tiers as well as premium pay-TV channels and other services (e.g. PPV/paid for on demand services).
The measure of the speed of transmission of a digital code, as defined by the number of distinct symbol changes per second to a digital signal stream. Each Baud (Bd) may contain one or more bits of information. (see also )
Non-profit making tripartite co-operative originally established by the Canadian Association of Broadcasters (CAB) and the Association of Canadian Advertisers (ACA). It conducts its own audience measurement surveys for television and radio. Organisation originally known as The Bureau of Broadcasting Measurement, changing its name to BBM Canada in 2001.
Marketing tool employed by online advertisers for improving the efficiency of their campaigns, which involves determining which ad messages to send to a user on the basis of information collected about the user?s past web browsing behaviour.
The fraction of bits transmitted that are received incorrectly.
Trial test of a software product or application in the field prior to its final release, aiming to verify that the product or application performs the functions it is supposed to in a real world environment.
Commercial break placed between two different programmes. Also known as End Break (EB).
Airtime awarded to a programme sponsor at the beginning/end of a sponsored programme or at the beginning/end of commercial breaks within the programme for showing the sponsor credits. Also known as Break Bumper or Sponsorship Bumper in the UK.
Elementary unit of information/data stored as a choice between two mutually exclusive possibilities, such as 1 or 0 in binary notation.
Transmission speed expressed as the number of bits per second (b/s or bps), but more often expressed as multiples (e.g. 1 kbps = 1,000 1 Mbps = 1,000,000 1 Gbps = 1,000,000,000 bps). Bitrates denote the amount of information that can be transferred in a given time interval. Video applications are highly bitrate intensive. The required bitrates depend on a number of factors, such as desired picture quality, sampling rate of original material, compression algorithms, method of encoding, amount of information contained in the samples (e.g. very high for sports, lower for studio interviews). Typical present day requirements are 1Mbps for VHS, 5 Mbps for DVD and 15 Mbps for HDTV.
P2P file-sharing protocol that allows for the distribution of a wide range of content by reducing the dependency of recipients on the originator and without the originator having to incur the entire costs of hardware, storage and bandwidth use.
Web site on which Internet users make regular entries. Most blogs are based around a particular theme, with readers encouraged to add comments. Blogs typically contain a number of pages of related topics, along with links to other blogs and web sites. Forms include text, video (vblog), photographs (photoblog), or audio (podcasting). Authors of blog sites are known as bloggers.
Wireless standard and communications protocol for short-range connections and exchanges of information between devices such as PCs, PDAs, mobile phones, printers, headset, video game consoles, etc., using a secure, globally unlicensed short-range radio frequency.
Ultra-high-density optical disc format for the storage of digital media, including high-definition video. Sony?s Blu-ray Disc has emerged as the accepted global standard after a lengthy battle with Toshiba?s HD DVD format.
Programme content only, without commercial break.
French term referring to the selection of general and thematic TV channels that are offered as a package to subscribing households.
Biro Pusat Statistik: Indonesian Government?s official statistical organisation.
(see also )
Position of a commercial e.g. first in break/last in break.
Any wired or wireless transmission pathway with high bandwidth capacity. Term is widely used to denote systems that are able to relay large numbers of video channels and other electronic services, including Internet access, and provide return pathways that permit subscribers two-way communications and interactivity.
Cable networks with high bandwidth capacity for delivering multiple TV channels and other electronic interactive services, such as cable telephony and Internet access.
Term widely used to denote on-screen two-way interactive services offered by broadband systems, such as e-mail and Internet access.
Over-the-air transmission of TV channel programming from a central broadcast source to multiple homes in the channel reception area via a network of land transmitters or via satellite.
Geographic reception area within which a broadcast TV channel can be received according to set technical criteria of signal quality. The broadcast coverage area is also referred to as the technical reach of the broadcast TV channel.
Company/organisation broadcasting one or more TV channels.
Over-the-air distribution of audio and/or video signals (programmes) to a large number of recipients ("listeners" or "viewers") within the technical reach of the signals. The main types of broadcast transmission include satellite, terrestrial and MMDS distribution.
Buffer is a generic term for computer memory storage. Among the uses of the term, buffering refers to the advance storage and queuing of transmitted video content over wired systems before its display on screen in order to preserve picture quality when there is variable bandwidth capacity and the quality of service (QoS) cannot be guaranteed at any given moment.
A term used for a short duration advertisement (usually 5 second) that is placed before a programme begins (bumper in) and after the programme ends (bumper out).
The offer of several products as a single product or package (e.g. in the marketing of triple play offers involving broadband, telephony and television). Bundling can assume many forms in relation to the design and marketing of pay-TV packages.
Act of recording audiovisual content on a CD or DVD.
Period of concentrated activity in an advertising campaign, usually lasting several weeks, that is aimed at achieving high frequency and awareness at the time of the campaign and in the period immediately afterwards.
Basic data unit, comprising groups of 8 data bits that are processed together.
Communication Agencies Association of New Zealand (www.caanz.co.nz).
Geographic area in which a cable operator has been licensed to install a cable system.
A data modem that uses the bandwidth of a cable system.
(see also )
Company/organisation running a cable network.
Reception of television transmissions, from whatever originating source (i.e. whether terrestrial, satellite or cable) by a wired cable television (CATV) system serviced by a cable operator. TAM systems may sometimes classify MATV and/or SMATV as cable reception depending on local market structural distinctions that are found to be most relevant.
Wired transmission system serviced by a cable operator, who receives television transmissions centrally and relays them to subscribers via a cable headend across a cable network.
Electronic hardware facility, usually incorporating a smart card slot, that makes it possible for a set-top box or other equipment to display encrypted, conditional access content.
A promotional effort over a specified interval based on the same strategy and creative idea. TV advertising campaigns typically consist of a schedule of advertising spots that are transmitted in one or more discrete batches lasting several weeks or longer or at lower intensity over longer and more continuous periods.
(see also , )
Predictive software used by media planners to estimate the audience for a schedule of advertising spots.
Method of conducting face-to-face interviews with the use of a personal computer for prompting questions and recording answers.
Small monthly fee per subscriber, which is normally paid by pay-TV service providers/platform operators to the channels they carry, although the reverse can also apply depending on available capacity, channel demand and conditions of service pricing, which vary greatly from country to country.
A discount granted by the media supplier to an advertiser for payment within a certain period of time - e.g., a 2 percent discount if payment is made within ten days of invoice. Also referred to as prompt payment discount.
TV service that makes broadcast programming available on-demand for a specified period after the real-time broadcast (e.g. 7-day catch-up TV).
Method of conducting interviews over the telephone with the use of a personal computer for prompting questions and recording answers.
Another term for cable television system or cable network. Key defining criteria are that the CATV system must relay cable transmissions to multiple dwellings on multiple premises and is serviced by a cable operator who charges a monthly per subscriber fee.
Security technology used by pay TV operators to ensure that only authorised subscribers are able to access their content. Conditional access involves encrypting the transmissions and providing programmable regulation of their decryption , typically via smart cards.
Similar piece of software as CAPI/CATI but as a Web-authoring version. Respondents can answer the questions either at home or in their workplace, even with several interruptions. . (see also , )
(see also )
(see also )
Network of computers acting in co-operation in order to deliver content to end users over the Internet.
Panel control consisting of two or more interlocking variables.
Panel control consisting of two or more interlocking panel variables.
Method of weighting that employs a single matrix of interlocking variables for adjusting the actual sample profile to the target sample profile.
Meter interface with cellular phone connection.
The process of collecting vital information on the social, economic and housing characteristics of every member of a population. In contrast to sampling where information is only obtained from a subset of a population.
Term sometimes used to refer to the central data collection, storage and processing system at the offices of the data supplier.
The time between network programmes when a network affiliated station identifies itself to viewers and during which commercial announcements are aired.
(see also )
Number of individuals/TV homes that can receive a TV channel within its broadcast coverage and/or other (e.g. cable, DSL network) distribution area, as defined by set technical reception criteria. Channel coverage is often expressed as a percentage of the total survey population.
(see also )
List of TV channels/other signal sources and their associated frequencies that are found and recorded for each monitored TV set in the home during an exhaustive tuning check by the panel technicians and later used to identify signal transmission sources in meter systems that measure frequencies.
A feature of some TV sets, VCR's and set-top boxes which allows them to receive the transmissions of a TV channel in the same tuning position even if it has moved to a different frequency.
Estimated percentage of TV homes within the survey universe that (a) can receive and (b) have one or more of their TV sets tuned to a given TV channel. The definition may include stipulations about acceptable picture quality.
TV channels that can be received by a given TV set or TV home, as determined by an exhaustive check of tuning frequencies.
Estimated audience share of a TV channel.
(see also )
Selection of satellite TV channels via the tuner belonging to the satellite receiver.
Selection of TV channels during viewing by means of the VCR tuner.
Average number of channels that viewers within a selected population (e.g. satellite TV homes, multichannel TV homes, etc.) watch at least once during a specified interval (e.g. day, week, month).
The standard method of scheduling programmes in prime time by offering different programmes in the same time period every night. This is the opposite of "strip" programming, in which the same series airs different episodes in the same time period every day. Strip programme scheduling is the prevailing form for all other dayparts except prime time.
Index of turnover applied to commercial pay-TV systems as a whole or to channel packages, especially premium pay-TV services. It is an important indicator of pay-TV service performance, which may be defined in several ways. The usual method of estimating churn is to divide the number of subscriber disconnections during a set period by the average number of subscribers during that period or the number of subscribers at the beginning of that period. This produces a result representing an annualised percentage.
Interview with eligible survey respondent that has been successfully completed and validated.
Centrum voor Informatie over de Media/Centre d'Information sur les Médias: Non-profit-making joint industry committee overseeing circulation audits for press, Internet sites and outdoor posters as well as being responsible for all audience measurement to do with the display advertising media.
Panel classification variable based on separate establishment survey data that record claimed weight of household viewing. Some TAM systems use claimed weight of viewing for a panel control as a precaution against sample bias due to differential acceptance/installation rates amongst heavier and lighter viewing households.
AGB Nielsen Media Research's TV Events quality control procedures to ensure top quality programme, break and spot database.
Form of Internet crime, where a person, automated script or computer programme clicks on an Internet advertisement in order to generate a charge-per-click.
(see also )
A brief segment excerpted from a broadcast stream. In AGB Nielsen Media Research's TV Events the term usually refers to the commercial spot stored in a separate video file.
Grouping several commercials together during one break.
Transmission technology used by broadband data and cable systems that consist of transmitting electrical signals down conducting wires with protective insulation.
Interference on a channel due to another signal on the same channel.
A codec (Coder-Decoder) is a piece of hardware or software for encoding and decoding digital audio and video signals.
Device for converting a signal from one form into another (digital form), to meet the requirements of a particular form of communication.
Advertisement, announcement, spot or message aired on television, radio or cable which is paid for by an advertiser.
Airtime minutage allowance that is available for advertising according to international and national rules that vary greatly across different countries. The rules may also vary for different types of TV stations within the same country. For example, public service stations that receive mixed public and advertising funding may be subject to stricter quotas than other channels. Likewise, licensed terrestrial commercial analogue services are often subject to more stringent quotas than other cable and satellite channels as a condition of their licences. Lastly the rules will often additionally specify the distribution of commercial minutage by time of day, the frequency and positioning of commercial breaks within and between programmes, the duration of commercial breaks and other requirements, such as the obligation on some TV channels to sell all their airtime in order to limit TV channel manipulation of advertising demand and consequent airtime prices.
Record of all commercials and programmes transmitted by TV channels. The information may be provided by the TV channel itself or by an independent source and is matched against processed individual viewing statements so as to permit viewing figures for specific commercials and programmes. The logs may contain additional information, such as programme genre codes, which can be used to estimate and report audiences for different kinds of programming.
An interval during which advertisements are shown within television transmissions.
(see also )
Audiences for advertising commercial spots. Different TAM systems employ different algorithms for computing commercial ratings/GRPs for minute by minute or second by second GRP measures.
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Profit-making TV channels/services that rely on commercial advertising, pay-TV or other (e.g. telephone voting) payment revenues from their audiences.
Hardware and software interface that may be embedded in TV sets or set-top boxes to permit the addition of other components, such as conditional access modules for pay-TV applications, for enhancing the functionality of the TV set.
Television services owned and operated by "communities" rather than governments, business or television industry professionals. They may be funded through government grants or subsidies, sponsorship, membership, or a combination thereof.
A mapping of the performances of competing TV stations.
Encoding technology for improving the transmission rates and/or decreasing the bandwidth requirements of digital TV services that entails reducing the digital data files (i.e. reducing the number of bits)
through removing redundant information, thereby enabling multiplex operators to squeeze more channels on to a single carrier frequency that would have originally carried just one analogue TV channel. Present day more advanced compression (e.g. MPEG-4) and other broadcast transmission technologies are making it possible for single carrier frequencies to carry ten or more digital TV although digital terrestrial broadcast systems typically carry six to eight digital channels per carrier frequency.
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A number indicating a percentage difference between one value and a benchmark value for comparison. The benchmark value, however defined, is fixed at 100. Accordingly, an index of 110 indicates a positive absolute difference to the benchmark value of 10 percentage points (or 10% relative difference); whilst an index of 90 indicates a negative absolute difference of 10 percentage points (or a -11% relative difference).
Same individual registered by a TAM meter as a viewer for two or more TV sets at the same time.
(see also )
Common form of pay-TV pricing where the purchase of premium content is conditional on buying one or more other services. The most common example is the requirement by many pay-TV operators to buy a basic subscription package in order to be able to subscribe to a film or sports package.
Term used in parametric statistics to specify the margin of error associated with a particular survey estimate for a given level of significance. For example, 95% confidence interval denotes the range of values surrounding the survey estimate within which there is a 95% probability that the true population value will lie. Depending on the level of certainty required, higher or lower probability values may be used to specify the confidence interval.
The lower and upper boundaries/values of a confidence interval, that is, the values which define the range of a confidence interval.
Widely employed general term for designating the interoperability and ability of TV, PC and other video/audio equipment to communicate with one another in the home or over a network (e.g. P2P file sharing). (see also )
The consolidated audience is the sum of the live and timeshift audiences.
Sum of live and all timeshift viewing of television transmissions within a set time interval after the transmissions (Note: definition allows for the same viewer to be counted more than once as a viewer of a transmission).
Long viewing session without any change in registered set use or viewer presence. Constant viewing is used by some TAM systems as a quality control during data validation.
Materials posted by users on the Internet. At first, the term was mainly used in connection with Internet forums, blog but has subsequently widened to cover new multimedia, video and social networking applications.
Company or organisation that gathers material for distribution to end users after acquiring the necessary rights.
General term for protection of copyright, whether via conditional access and encryption of broadcast signals or DRM measures relating to digital networks.
Company or organisation responsible for creating content, whether movies, TV programming or interactive games applications, etc.
Ratio of the potential maximum demand to the bandwidth available on a network. The greater the number of users, the higher the ratio. During periods of peak demand this can result in lower effective bandwidth. In the case of on-demand TV services, the contention ratio is the ratio of total subscribers to the peak number of unique simultaneous streams.
Period of data purchase/delivery as agreed between the data supplier and its clients. Formal JIC or MOC industry contracts typically run from five to ten years, with extension options included.
Technical terms of survey content, data delivery and terms of purchase as laid down in TAM contracts between data suppliers and their clients.
Parties such as JIC, MOC and TRCC organisations that contract TAM services from one or more data suppliers.
Data supplier contracted by an industry body/organisation to supply TAM data as specified by the contract.
The delivery of several types of content (e.g. TV broadcasts, Web TV, hi-fi audio, etc.) to a single receiver and output source. The introduction of digital technology has greatly expanded the potential for convergent applications on the TV screen.
An assumed scaling factor that may be used for converting a measure classified by one criterion (e.g. household rating) into a measure classified by a different criterion (e.g. Adults 25-44).
Device for changing the frequency of a signal. Converters are commonly used (a) by cable and other TV distribution systems that entail reception of incoming signals and retransmission to viewers on locally available frequencies as well as (b) for enabling reception of digital TV signals on analogue TV sets.
(see also )
Information sent by a server to a web browser and sent back by the browser unchanged each time it accesses the server. The only modification is that the cookies can store information about the user?s navigation of the Web site. Originally developed in order to assist shopping basket applications, cookies can serve in a number of contexts to authenticate, track and store information about visitors to a Web site. This has led to concerns about privacy. Advertising companies may use cookies to track user behaviour over multiple Web sites, which can be used for behavioural targeting.
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Financial performance measure of a schedule of advertising spots that is calculated by dividing the price paid by the audience delivery with reference to the target audience(s) of the advertising campaign. The principal measures of cost efficiency are Cost per rating point (CPR) and Cost per thousand (CPT or CPM).
Television viewers who just sit relaxed and watch TV, doing little to interact with the TV set beyond changing channels when the mood takes them.
Measure of advertising reach. Derivative terms like 1+ cover and 4+ cover denote the percentage of the target audience that has been exposed to a schedule of advertising spots at least a certain number of times (e.g. at least once, at least four times, etc).
(see also )
The estimated audience size of a TV channel/programme within its coverage area, expressed as a percentage of the total potential audience.
Number of individuals/homes that can receive or are exposed to a medium.
(see also )
Defines the condition where members of a reference target are the focus of an analysis only if they are watching TV together with other members, chosen according specific demographics. An example of a Co-viewing target is Females watching with Children.
Interval spanning from the first to the last days of a campaign schedule of advertising spots.
Cost of Internet advertising based on the number of visitors taking some specifically defined action in response to an ad, divided by the money paid.
Cost of Internet advertising based on the number of clicks an ad receives divided by the money being paid. CPC?s vary according to the search engine being used.
Equipment that subscribers to a service must install in their homes in order to receive it (e.g. set-top Box with PVR functionality, wireless router, etc.).
Cost of Internet advertising based on the number of ad impressions divided by the money paid.
The average cost of achieving one commercial rating point (i.e. advertising GRP) with a 30 second advertising spot (or other standard unit of airtime) for a given target audience. CPP's are widely used as a measure of the cost efficiency of advertising campaigns or for comparing price differences across different TV stations. The alternative widely used measure of cost efficiency is Cost per thousand (CPT or CPM).
(1) Television: The average cost of achieving 1,000 commercial impacts against a specified target audience, and usually adjusted to a 30 second advertising spot length. CPTs/CPMs are widely used as a measure of the cost efficiency of advertising campaigns or for comparing price differences across different TV stations. The alternative widely used measure of cost efficiency is advertising Cost per rating point (CPR or CPRP). (2) Internet: Cost of achieving 1,000 ad impressions.
Instruction to survey respondent on when to record himself/herself as a viewer. In peoplemeter measurement, this equates with the instructions of when panel members or their guests should register their presence as viewers (e.g. "In the room with TV set on and watching", or "in the room with TV set on", etc.).
Overspill of domestic TV station signals into neighbouring countries.
Analysis of aggregated data, that is based on sample estimates of audience size/volume and composition per unit time interval. Key output measures are audience ratings, amount of viewing and audience share.
Traditional technology for displaying TV images on a screen by means of an electron gun firing electrons at a fluorescent screen. Though successful throughout the last century, CRT is being rapidly superseded by other technologies that can generate images on much larger flat screens, avoiding all the bulkiness of CRT boxes. (see also )
DRM scheme used on some DVDs.
(see also )
Parallel surveys of viewing for checking the accuracy of the main survey. CSV's are either "internal", based on the same sample as the main survey, or "external", being based on a separate independent sample. External CSV's are rarely used in TAM research, but most peoplemeter panels employ internal CSV's (usually once or twice a year) as a systematic quality control for checking (a) the accuracy of key panel classification variables that are liable to change (e.g. household size, number of TV sets) and (b) the accuracy of viewer registration through comparing the CSV claims with contemporary meter records.
Unit measure of online advertising defined as the number of clicks on an ad on a web page divided by the total number of times the ad was delivered (ad impressions). An alternative definition sometimes used is to define CTR as the number of users that click on a web page divided by the total number of times the ad was delivered.
Content identification technology based on comparison of audio signatures used for a variety of TAM applications. Its principle of operation includes generating signatures from the unknown content's audio track and comparing those signatures against identical signatures generated for all measured content streams (e.g. "TV channels").
Cumulative total of
ratings across a target audience over a given period, such as an advertising campaign, or fixed time interval (e.g. week month).
International transmission technical standard for digital radio services.
(see also )
Degree to which client users can access data generated by a TAM system. Different users may enjoy different levels of access. The degree of access is partly a function of the data which Users are permitted to examine and partly a function of the software options for analysis.
Availability of TAM data to different interest groups: not just the primary users comprising advertisers, media buyers and media owners, but also secondary users comprising software houses/computer bureaus, market research companies, trade press and other potential interest groups.
A process that reduces the number of bits used to encode a signal by eliminating gaps, empty fields, redundancies, or unnecessary data. (see also )
Entering data into computer, which includes keyboard entry, scanning and voice recognition. In relation to AGB Nielsen Media Research's TV Events, it is the user interface module for entering detailed broadcast information into the database stored on the TelePad Server.
Market research output that combines data from two separate, though not necessarily independently drawn, survey samples by means of pairing individuals from each contributing sample on the basis of socio-demographic and/or other data. It may be used as an alternative to single source survey research in order not to over-burden survey respondents with the collection of two sets of research data.
Threshold of acceptable sample size for permitting data access. There are wide variations in practice across different TAM systems. Within Europe, about half the TAM systems employ thresholds for warning users when sample sizes for analysis are low and consequently unstable. Slightly fewer employ blocking thresholds that prevent access when sample sizes are considered unacceptably low for analysis.
Market research company engaged in the collection and production of TAM data for delivery to the market.
Broadcasting of information and other data services via digital TV, often as a supplementary offering to enhance the appeal of digital TV channels.
Method of collecting audience data in interview surveys or self-completion questionnaires that ask respondents to recall their viewing or other activities on the previous days. Surveys may employ a recall period of more than one day (e.g. two-day recall or up to seven-day recall), or they may use past 24 hour recall as an alternative to day after recall.
Division of the broadcast day constituting a single timeband (e.g. early morning: 06.00-09.00; peak or prime time: 19.00-23.00, etc.). Most TAM systems divide the day into about eight dayparts (e.g. E M L Ea L Peak/Prime time, L Night). The dayparts correspond with broad variations in audience size and composition across the broadcast day.
A network TV programme that is delayed for airing in a given market at a different time than the time it airs nationally.
Hangover term coined during the eighties to refer to WARC (World Administrative Radio Conference) international provisions for direct broadcasting by satellite. The WARC plan envisaged allocating each country five K band frequencies for high power analogue satellite transmissions that would permit nationwide reception with dishes no greater than 90 cm in diameter. Several national projects were developed durin however, the DBS projects were rapidly superseded by major technological advances that created room for a far greater number of TV channels to be broadcasted by medium power satellites using a different part of the radio frequency spectrum and at much lower costs.
Digital television services transmitted via cable.
Device (also called Converter) that decodes digital transmission signals and converts them for display on to the TV set.
Interface between a meter and a set-top decoder that permits the monitoring of signals passing through the decoder.
Final complete set of viewing statements from which quantitative estimates of viewing are generated.
The elapsed time between the instant when user information is submitted to the network and when it is received by the user at the other end.
Population variable for classifying individuals or households in terms of personal or family characteristics. Examples include R T H A S Social grade/Socio- W O E P Life stage.
An electronic circuit that restores a scrambled video signal to its standard form.
TAM methodology that identifies channels through metering their frequencies and comparing their records against the channel map for the TV set or other input source being monitored.
Method of Internet access that involves hooking up the PC to a telephone network using a modem and telephone line.
Also known as narrowband. Dial-up was the early form of Internet access and is significantly slower than broadband, which is now superseding it.
Family of TAM methodologies in which survey respondents record their viewing in diaries. Diary samples may be discrete or they may constitute short or long term panels. TAM diaries normally consist of booklets with one page, or a double-page spread, for each day of the week. There is considerable scope for variation in terms of format, unit intervals of measurement (e.g. quarter hour/five minute), criteria of viewing selection of sample (i.e. household or individual), instructions on when to fill in and methods of administration and collection. National diary TAM systems have given way to national peoplemeter TAM systems in most countries, but diaries are still commonly used in larger countries for regional/local audience measurement or for collecting data from rural areas.
General term for all radio frequency wave signals that have been transformed into binary units of data (bits). The transformation of all video and audio signal information into bits is fundamental to expanding the opportunities for multimedia and convergent applications sharing the same output source (i.e. TV or PC screen).
Device for playing, storing and organising digital music files.
(see also )
A device which accepts digital encoded television broadcasts and converts them to display on an analogue television set. New boxes with added functionality provide local storage of programming on hard discs, and Internet access.
Process of replacing analogue with digital TV broadcasts, for which prior analogue switch-off is a prerequisite condition.
Process of converting an analogue signal into digital format.
Same as Elementary or Respondent level viewing data - Processed viewing data held at the level of individual respondents. The basic components of disaggregated viewing data are individual viewing statements consisting of complete time records across each broadcasting day of all viewing sessions by every family member and guest on all metered TV sets in the home.
(see also )
A high-grain antenna, shaped like a dish, which is used for the transmission and reception of ultra-high-frequency and microwave signals.
Sampling in which different sub-populations have different probabilities of selection, resulting in over-sampling/under-sampling of some groups compared with others. Disproportional sampling by selected region(s) is quite common in TAM research.
Operating system for distributing TV services to viewers. Distribution platforms are typically classified according to whether the signals are in analogue or digital and delivered to the viewer via satellite, cable, terrestrial, DSL, FTTH reception. Further distinctions may be made according to whether the services are free or pay, and whether packaged or delivered by a particular platform operator, which markets its TV services as a single entity.
Video codec created by DivX, Inc. (formerly DivXNetworks, Inc.), which has become popular due to its ability to compress lengthy video segments into small sizes while maintaining relatively high visual quality.
Rear-projection technology developed and owned by Texas Instruments for projecting video images on a large screen by means of a matrix of microscopically small mirrors on a semi-conductor chip. DLP currently competes with Plasma Display and LCD technologies fro large-screen HDTV.
(see also )
Digital radio transmission system capable of operating in the VHF, UHF and L-Band frequency bands and based on the Eureka 147 DAB standard for sending multimedia (TV, radio and data) content to mobile devices, such as mobile phones. DMB services launched in South Korea in 2006, and shortly after in Germany, but since withdrawn.
A US copyright law which criminalises production and dissemination of technology that can circumvent measures taken to protect copyright, not merely infringement of copyright itself, and heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet.
Stores and associates many types of information with domain names, but most importantly, it translates domain names (computer hostnames) to IP addresses. It also lists mail exchange servers accepting e-mail for each domain. In providing a worldwide keyword-based redirection service, DNS is an essential component of contemporary Internet use.
Recharging device into which participants in portable peoplemeter research place their meters overnight.
An international standard developed by CableLabs that defines the interface requirements for cable modems involved in high-speed data distribution over cable television networks. The latest revised version,
DOCSIS 3.0, released in August 2006, provides significantly faster upstream and downstream speeds than earlier versions and in excess of 100 Mbit/s.
Channel identification logo, usually appearing in top left or right corner of the screen.
Any TV channel whose programmes and/or advertising are specifically targeted at national, regional or local audiences within the country of reception. The definition is independent of the point of origin of the broadcasts. At the same time the same TV channel may be broadcast as a domestic service to more than one national market.
Signal pathway from the satellite to the earth.
Reception of data from a remote system, such as a web site or FTP server and related systems. Upload is the exact opposite.
Term used widely in interactive TV (iTV terms) to refer to the signal pathway from the service provider (e.g. cable operator) to the home. This will usually have higher bandwidth demands than the upstream return path from the home to the service provider. Opposite of Upstream.
Continuous low intensity advertising over an extended period, usually aimed at giving regular reminders to viewers.
Sum of technologies employed by rights owners/content providers for authorising access and limiting use of content transmitted over a digital network in accordance with the copyright terms. DRM applies primarily to IPTV content. One of the key aims is to prevent unauthorised duplication of content and transmission to other parties via file sharing or portable storage items such as CDs.
On-screen text menu offered by interactive digital TV channels that viewers can call up with their remote control handsets.
TV infomercials or advertising spots that permit or encourage consumers to directly respond to the advertiser.
Generic term for technologies that permit the delivery of broadband services over voice telephony networks.
Network device, usually located in the local exchange, for aggregating the data connections of multiple end-users. The DSLAM connects the customer's DSL with the core high-speed Internet backbone network.
Study of the digital representation of signals, often involving the digitisation of analogue signals, which may subsequently be de-converted into analogue form for onscreen display. DSP may take place in a number of different domains, such as time, space and frequency. Applications include digital image processing and video compression.
Daylight saving time (also summer time in British English) is the convention of advancing clocks so that afternoons have more daylight and mornings have less. Typically clocks are adjusted forward one hour near the start of spring and are adjusted backward in autumn. Modern DST was first proposed in 1907 by William Willett. Many countries hav details vary by location and change occasionally.
Digital services transmitted via satellite and received directly by means of individual satellite dishes or via SMATV connections.
Direct-To-Home satellite transmission and reception - TV transmissions via satellite intended for "direct-to-home" reception in households equipped with parabolic dish antenna.
Digital terrestrial television standard applied in China. Also called DMB-T.
Another term for PVR and DVR.
(see also )
Digital TV broadcasted terrestrially over the air for reception by television (DTT) aerial antennae.
General term for TV services that are transmitted into the home digitally, where they are received either by a set-top box decoder, which converts them into analogue form for display on a conventional analogue TV set, or by an integrated digital TV receiver.
Audience overlap across successive unit intervals of measurement.
Collection of open standards for digital television maintained by the DVB Project. The family of DVB standards includes DVB-S, DVB-S2 DVB-SH and DVB-SMATV (satellite); DVB (cable); DVB-T, DVB-T2 (terrestrial); DVB-H (mobile handsets); as well as additional microwave distribution standards. DVB standards also cover conditional access (DVB-CA), software platforms for consumer video applications (DVB-MHP) and return channels. Each standard may exist in SD or HD formats. The DVB-T2 standard is not yet finalised, but awaits adoption and approval by ETSI, probably during 2008.
Industrial consortium of 270 members for the development and promotion of DVB standards, as published by the Joint Technical Committee (JTC) comprising the European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI), the European Committee for Electrotechnical Standardisation (ECES) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU). DVB standards are widely used inside and outside Europe.
Disc containing audiovisual materials in video for display on the TV screen by means of a DVD player.
Device for playing, but not recording digital video discs.
Device for playing and recording digital video discs.
Devices that allow TV viewers to timeshift, pause and fast forward (until real time) using hard-drive video storage.
(see also )
Variable that is unstable in terms of a rapidly changing population profile. This is most likely to apply to equipment and other TV related variables (e.g. multiset homes, cable, DTH reception, digital reception, Internet access, etc.) during periods of strong growth.
European Association of Communications Agencies (formerly European Association of Advertising Agencies): European trade association for advertising agencies/media specialists.
(see also )
European Broadcasting Union: International professional and trade association of national television and public radio service broadcasters in 52 countries in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East and 45 associate members in 28 countries from other regions.
Purchase of products and services over the Internet.
Digital mobile phone technology that allows for increased data transmission rate and improved data transmission reliability. It is generally classified as a 2.75G network technology. EDGE has been introduced into GSM networks around the world since 2003, initially in North America.
Phase of cleaning polled meter records (i.e. "raw" meter statements) during data processing/validation. The rules may either be for editing data in (varies largely for assigning uncovered viewing) or for editing data out (e.g. elimination of unassigned uncovered viewing, deletion or partial deletion of viewing records when concurrent viewing is encountered).
Epitropi Elenhou Ereynon Tileorasis (TV audience research control committee): Joint industry committee of TV stations, advertisers, media buyers and market research companies supervising TAM data supply and surrounding technical issues in Cyprus and Greece.
The level of exposure frequency at which reach is deemed "effectively" delivered.
(see also )
The number or percentage of a target audience that is exposed to a schedule of advertising spots at a set level of frequency. This will typically specify a lower threshold value indicating the minimum level of exposure deemed as sufficient for "effective" advertising purposes (e.g. 4+ reach) and an upper threshold (e.g. 12+ reach) above which additional exposures are considered as waste.
The size of random sample that would provide the same standard error as the actual sampling plan on which a survey result is based. (see also )
Also termed equivalent, effective sample size denotes the estimated size of the sample based on sample error and after removing the effects of weights and dependencies within the sample caused by clustering (i.e. individuals within the same sample population living in the same household). In practice, measures of effective sample size are usually calculated by examining the effects of panel weights alone. For single audience measures, the effective sample will always be lower than the actual sample on the basis that, the greater the variability of panel weights within the selected sample/sub-sample, the lower the effective sample size.
(see also )
(see also )
European Group of Television Advertising: European trade association of airtime sales organisations or departments representing the interests of about 100 TV stations in 26 countries in Europe (and Korea).
Diary where respondents record their viewing on a small portable display screen using a light pen.
Same as Disaggregated viewing data - processed viewing data held at the level of individual respondents.
Contacted address/respondent that is eligible for selection within the sample.
Multimedia correspondence over the Internet.
Banner ads, links or advertisers sponsorships that appear in e-mail marketing communications.
Term used in data editing to denote an interval of uncovered viewing sandwiched between two intervals of covered viewing.
Supplementary signal (e.g. unique programme code, teletext code, genre code, etc.) contained in TV channel transmissions, which is not part of the audiovisual images appearing on the TV screen, but may be used by the viewer or other party for other purposes. TAM data suppliers may use it for channel or programme identification purposes.
European Media Research Organisations: International group of experts in national media audience measurement (mainly representatives of market research companies engaged in media research or members of industry committees overseeing media research).
In television, term refers to the process of transforming signals that requires specific decryption/decoding equipment to display them on the TV screen. Many domestic satellite channels, whether subscription or free-to-air, employ encryption for reasons of copyright. Pay-TV services employ additional conditional access technologies in order to restrict access to authorised (paying) customers and prevent signal theft or piracy.
Homes dropped from a panel on the initiative of the data supplier. The principal categories of enforced turnover are (a) turnover in order to preserve/improve panel balance, (b) turnover to reduce panel age as a precaution against creeping panel bias and/or panel fatigue (with some TAM systems setting a maximum length of service), or (c) turnover due to faulty compliance with panel viewing instructions.
Broad terms/buzzword referring to user involvement in the media being consumed.
Television programming supplemented with extra datacast materials and/or coverage options in order to enhance its appeal to viewers (e.g. drop-down menu displays giving details of accommodation and sightseeing opportunities at a holiday destination described in a travel programme).
Minimum basic package of channels and services to which subscribers to analogue or digital pay TV services must sign up.
Survey aimed at providing a population count of households/ household size. Enumeration surveys may be conducted on their own, independently of any other survey (as in USA) or as the initial phase of an establishment or other survey phases, where they are used in order to (a) update po}