The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, yesterday, launched the Audience Measurement System for the broadcasting sector.
The Audience Measurement System for the broadcasting sector, according to the media aide to the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Rabiu Ibrahim, is to generate accurate and reliable data of television viewers in the country.
Idris, while launching the system in Abuja, said the Audience Measurement System held immense importance in ensuring that broadcasting endeavors are not only impactful but also reflective of the diverse preferences and needs of the audience.
“It is a tool that empowers us to understand and respond to the dynamic nature of our media consumers, providing valuable perception into their viewing habits, content preferences, and engagement patterns. It is therefore gratifying to note that this project, which started in 2020, has finally come to fruition,” Idris said.
Idris further said the introduction of the system was a groundbreaking achievement that aligned with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s vision for a more prosperous and technologically advanced Nigeria.
The Minister added that the introduction of the system became very necessary because the current Audience Measurement still used age-long Diary Method (pen and paper) of collecting data on TV Viewership and Radio Listenership, which does not reflect the true picture of what and how many people are watching or listening to a particular content.
“Similarly, Station Owners, Content Producers, Artists, essentially the entire supply ecosystem, was not benefiting in many ways; more important, they are neither motivated or challenged to produce more and better content that caters to the ‘demand’, as the measure of who likes it, what they like, how much they like, etc. This has clearly stunted the growth of the entire Entertainment and Media ecosystem in Nigeria,” Idris stated.
Idris also said it was disheartening to note that in spite of having more than three times the eyeballs in South Africa, Nigeria’s television advertising market revenue is low compared to that of South Africa, and Kenya, a development that necessitated the adoption of a system that will ensure that the advertising spend in Nigeria grows exponentially in the next couple of years.
“I am confident that a transparent and reliable audience measurement system will attract greater investment into the media sector, driving economic growth and creating job opportunities. It will also enhance Nigeria’s reputation as a market with robust and trustworthy media analytics,” Idris assured.
Idris however said the project, which would generate 500 employment directly and 2,500 jobs indirectly, was set to jumpstart the repositioning and financial re-birth of Nigeria’s broadcasting industry and better prepare it for the digital era as the Federal Government is still on track towards the implementation of the Digital Switch Over.
Idris restated the commitment of President Tinubu to developing the entire media landscape in Nigeria as amply demonstrated in his recent directive to the Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade and Investment and the Bank of Industry to extend financial facilities to the media industry at a single digit interest rate.
He directed the service provider, First Media Entertainment Integrated Limited/GARB
to mount an aggressive public sensitization and advocacy to all the relevant sectoral groups in order to adequately harness the potentials of the Audience Measurement System.