Federal Gov’t Launches First Tech-based Media Audience Measurement System

The federal government has formally launched the Audience Measurement System for the broadcasting sector to generate accurate and reliable data of television viewers in the country.

Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, who performed the launch on Thursday in Abuja, said the Audience Measurement System holds immense importance in ensuring that broadcasting endeavours were 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,” he said.

The Minister described the introduction of the system as a groundbreaking achievement that aligns with President Bola Tinubu’s vision for a more prosperous and technologically advanced Nigeria.

He said the introduction of the system becomes very necessary because the current Audience Measurement still uses age-old 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,” he said.

The Minister 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,” he said.

Idris said the project, which would generate 500 employment directly and 2,500 jobs indirectly, is 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.

He reiterated 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.

The Minister 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.

The event was attended by the Minister of Arts, Culture and Creative Economy, Barrister Hannatu Musawa; Chairman, Senate Committee on Information and National Orientation, Senator Eze Kenneth Emeka; Chairman, House Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values, Hon. Steve Fatoba; Bulgarian Ambassador to Nigeria, Yanko Yordanov; former Minister of Information, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Special Adivser to the President on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, and all the Directors General of the agencies in the Information ministry, among other dignitaries.