Abstract:

JICTAR is responsible for collecting the research requirements of its members, formulating a research system which will meet these requirements and preparing a specification for this system and awarding a contract to a research company to operate the specification. In carrying out these tasks JICTAR has maintained a programme of research investigating the real and potential use of TV audience research data and testing and developing techniques of data collection. This paper summarises recent work concerned both with the measurement of reception of television services and the recording of viewing. Recent experimentation and findings on the postal collection of information on TV reception are discussed. Various studies are reported concerned with investigating how far the regularities in viewing data can lead to a reduction in the total volume of data collection without loss of efficiency for the research system. Recent developments in the UK with TV meters and diaries are reviewed. A new panel control is also being developed. This is based on stratification by estimated viewing levels and designed to balance possible effects of non-co-operation in TV panels. Some first results are reported. The paper concludes with discussion of possible future trends in TV audience research.