Tata Sky ropes in Kantar Media for subscriber viewership measurement

Kantar Media announced on 22 April that it has secured a multi-year audience measurement contract in from Indian DTH service provider Tata Sky.

The service will launch later in 2013, informed an official statement. The research will make use of Kantar Media’s return path data technology RapidView to collect audience data directly from set top boxes of an opt-in panel, from amongst Tata Sky subscribers. Kantar will be responsible for setting up and operating the service, while market research firm IMRB is on board to handle panel recruitment and management.

An additional panel will be used to monitor homes with High Definition (HD) televisions. Data will be captured across viewing options available on Tata Sky: live, time shift, on demand and interactive.

Nicola Bamford, chief content and business development officer, Tata Sky, said, “We are excited about launching this service in India in collaboration with Kantar Media and IMRB. The insights that will be available to us will help us to stay at the forefront of the Pay TV business in India.”

Nick Burfitt, global director, Return Path Data, Kantar Media Audiences, commented, “Pay TV is showing incredible growth in India and Tata Sky is a leading company in this market. We are delighted to have been chosen to develop and deploy this ground-breaking service, the first of its kind in this important market. The new service will provide real insights into the viewing habits of subscribers and we look forward to working with Tata Sky further as the service develops.”

Kantar Media has been operating audience measurement services for set-top box operators since 2005. Its services are available in the USA, UK, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand.