Abstract:

Often a client comes to a research institute with questions that can only be answered by leaving well-trodden paths, being creative and designing a new composition of market research tools. This happened in April 2002 in Germany when the client, ZDF, wanted to generate information on what would happen when digital terrestrial TV (DVB-T) replaced analogue terrestrial TV in spring 2003. A flexible, mobile and valid measurement instrument had to be integrated in an ad hoc study within a very short time schedule.Using the Radiocontrol System, GfK Fernsehforschung could meet all the needs of ZDF in an experimental environment for DVB-T in Berlin. There was no market in Berlin, no powerful transmission and no specific content for all this digital possibilities. Therefore ZDF organized a market simulation to test the introduction of DVB-T devices and contents.