The radio listenership measurement data compiled on the basis of a uniform methodology will be available on the NMHH’s website already from the beginning of 2018

Published: 13 November 2017

Radio listenership measurements and research will be launched in the domestic radio sector for the next three years on the basis of a uniform and transparent methodology as a result of the National Media and Infocommunications Authority’s public tender procedure closed on Wednesday.

According to the uniform methodology developed in several rounds of professional consultations held with radio market actors, the Consortium made up of M-Meter Kutató és Elemző Kft. and Kantar Hoffmann Kft. after having been awarded the measurement opportunity in the open public tender procedure launched by NMHH, will henceforth perform the listenership measurements of radio stations at national, Budapest and local levels, broken down into two measurement components.

The first measurement component includes the radio stations operated at a national level, in Budapest, in the county towns, in cities with county rights, as well as the networked radio stations with a coverage area with a population of more than 100 thousand (a total of 31 radio stations). In the case of the radio stations belonging to this group the measurement must be ensured either continuously, or within one week (log) or two weeks (DAR, for more information, see later) in one month, in such a way that for national and Budapest-based radio stations, data must be provided on a monthly basis, whereas for the county towns, the cities with county rights, as well as for the networked coverage areas with a population of more than 100 thousand, it is necessary on a quarterly basis.

In the case of the first component, the applicable methodology until the end of the year is based on telephone interviews (DAR), whereas from 1 January 2018 onwards, there must be a transition to the log methodology, by using parallel (DAR and log) measurements for at least one month before the transition.

The second measurement component will comprise those radio stations that do not belong to the first one. In the case of the second measurement component, research must be done every six months according to the DAR methodology. It comprises 25 municipalities and the radio coverage areas thereof. In both cases the coverage areas are determined jointly by the radio stations and the Authority.

The grouping according to the measurement components is summarised in the table below. (The content of the table will be updated by NMHH after consulting the radio stations, from the onset of the research it will be done on a quarterly basis.)

 

first measurement component

second measurement component

 

Group “A”

Group “B”

 

area

national and Budapest-based radio stations

coverage areas of the county towns, of the cities with county rights, as well as the networked coverage areas with a population of more than 100 thousand (31)

Coverage areas of the municipalities excluded from the first measurement component (25)

methodology

DAR (log from 01/01/2018)

DAR (log from 01/01/2018)

DAR

sample size

4,900/month

500/coverage area/quarter

500 (300 in the cases foreseen in the present document)/coverage area/semester

Audience measurement

In the audience measurement covering the first measurement component, efforts should be made in order to include at least 120 radio stations operated in the country, in such a way that the radio stations operated on a national level, as well as in Budapest, in the networked coverage areas with a population of more than 100 thousand, in the coverage areas of the county towns and of the cities with county rights can be evaluated one by one in the database.

DAR measurement: the measurement performed until 31 December 2017 is based on the „yesterday” (Day After Recall, DAR) method conducted by telephone. Basically, this means that in the query the interviewee’s activities of the previous day are recalled, and in connection with it the radio listening occasions are recorded during each activity. Radio listening data must be recorded and registered in 15-minutes breakdowns (slots). During the identification of the listened channels the supported ways must be applied (inquiry about the radio stations involved in the measurement) in such a way that the order impact must be avoided by appropriately chosen inquiry technique solutions (randomisation or rotation). It should also be possible for the interviewee to mention radio stations that have not been included initially in the inquiry list. At national level, at least 4,900 interviews will be conducted among the age group above 15.

The log method

From 1 January 2018 at the latest, research will continue according to the log panel methodology. When conducting the listenership measurements, the interviewees declare themselves to be the listeners of a specific radio station. The log must include in a pre-printed form those radio stations that are broadcast in the place of residence of the person who fills in the log (in case of an online log, they must be displayed mandatorily among the offered stations). In order to avoid order impact, rotation must be applied. At the same time, it should also be possible for the person filling in the log to mention radio stations that are not indicated in the log in advance. The log must be kept by the participants for one week. The radio listening must be recorded in 15-minutes slots with an accuracy of 5 minutes.

The log panel measurement covers the radio stations belonging to groups “A” and “B” of the first measurement component. Four measurement waves will take place per year, so one in each quarter. The log measurement will be conducted in the measurement period, by distributing the interviewees proportionally, on 3×7 consecutive days, so in a specific week in each month.

Each measurement wave will include at least 2,000 valid data collections, in the county towns, in the cities with county rights, as well as in the networks covering a population of more than 100 thousand: 31 × at least 500 = 15,500; whereas the national sample covering the country (excluding Budapest and the cities with county rights) will include at least 4,000 data collections.

Measurement results, availability of radio indexes

In order to provide appropriate information to the public, adapting to the periodicity of listenership measurements, the Authority will prepare and publish monthly, quarterly and half-yearly summaries of the basic data and the results of the survey on the www.nmhh.hu website, under the menu Research, in the form of a summary study, which will be supplemented by tables and graphs, and will be available free of charge to anyone. The detailed results of the surveys will be available on the electronic interfaces of the Authority, both to the domestic media service providers, both to those users who have at least one existing media agency or media selling (so-called Sales House) contract with a media service provider registered with the NMHH (other users). It is important to note that the provision of data will concern two major client bases.

1) The open data provision will include those media service providers and the other users designated by them, who give their consent to the publication of their data to the radio media service providers and to the other authorised users. In addition to their own data, radio media service providers may access the data concerning the measured radio stations if they declare that they consent to the transmission of their data to the radio media service providers and to the other users. In the absence of such a declaration, radio media service providers are entitled to be informed solely of their own data.

2) The restricted data provision groups those radio media service providers who have not given their consent to the above publication. These radio media service providers or the other users mandated by them are entitled to be informed solely of their own data or the data related to the principal.

Customer service

In order to ensure the success of the research, the NMHH will provide a customer service by telephone and online, on working days between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., which will be available to the measured media service providers and to the other users: it will provide support related to the use of the software and will answer any methodological, technical questions, as well as any questions related to the interpretation of the listenership results.