The Broadcast Research Council (BRC) of South Africa’s new RAMS (Radio Audience Measurement Survey) AMPLIFY™ data will be available to the industry, after the release and presentation on 29 October 2021.
‘We are pleased to announce that the data, which the media and advertising industry have been eagerly awaiting, will be available in cross-tab format via third party data providers Telmar and Nielsen (Arianna) after the industry presentation on Friday,’ said BRC’s CEO, Gary Whitaker. ‘This is the media and advertising industry’s bold step into a new era of audio measurement, designed to support commercial trading.’
Through a rigorous data scrutiny process, involving research experts in the radio industry, members of the AMF, as well as research auditors, Robert Ruud and Brenda Wortley of 3M3A and SA’s leading statistician, Professor Ariane Neethling, the 3M3A auditors and expert statistician endorsed the veracity and robustness of the dataset, declaring it ‘fit for release’. This release is based on five months’ worth of data, covering the period Q2 (+2 months), April to August 2021 with an achieved sample of just over 15,000 respondents.
Due to the change in methodology, from face-to-face manual completion 7-day diaries to the dual method of Computer Aided Telephonic Interviews (CATI) Day After Recall (DAR) and a MediaCell Passive Listening Panel, this new dataset is not comparable to the previous BRC RAM™ dataset. The methodology has been structured into two parts – firstly, 3000 CATI conducted monthly (36,000 per year and nationally representative) providing audience measurement in 15-minute segments, along with audience tracking on radio events and roadshows.
The programme covers over 280 stations (commercial, African language and community). Secondly, a MediaCell Passive Listening Panel, which measures linear broadcast and digital consumption of 4000 panellists daily, with minute-by-minute tracking of activities. MediaCell data will only be incorporated at the end of Q1 2022 once the fully recruited panel is in place. This dual methodology will ensure an uninterrupted radio currency that delivers data more frequently with granular insights to aid all sectors of the market.
At this point in time, the data will only be made available in a cross-tab format with reach and frequency data to follow as the sample grows. The full CATI sample of 36,000 respondents will be realised after a full year of fieldwork has reached completion. The South African market has been without radio currency data since Q1 2020, hence the need to release a viable dataset now. As the sample grows month on month, more granular analysis will be possible.
The release and presentation will be held on Friday, 29 October 2021 from 11h00 via Zoom webinar. Click here for more information.
‘We understand that the industry was eager to have access to the newest RAMS data, however, we stand by the decision to delay the data release slightly in the interests of delivering a stable currency and taking a long-term view to realise the larger vision for the study,’ concluded Whitaker.
