KRRiT - Krajowa Rada Radiofonii i Telewizji

The National Broadcasting Council summarises a year of work on the Polish Telemetry Project.

In addition, the preliminary results of the R&D works were presented and a working RPD system was shown. Among the discussed topics were the opportunities for the market that may appear with the introduction of the DAI (Dynamic Ad Insertion).

“Technological developments require a multi-media, multi-channel, single-source measurement of the content reaching users, in order to ensure the effective monitoring of the media. That is why, last year, during the Economic Forum in Krynica, we announced the launch of the Polish Telemetry Project. One year on, there are many things we can be proud of, though we still have a lot of work ahead of us, because we want to develop a market standard for media measurement.” – said Witold Kołodziejski, the Chairman of the National Broadcasting Council.

These activities are linked to the Council’s statutory obligation in relation to the media market. They also remain in line with the development trends in European legislation, as can be seen from the most recent amendment of the Audiovisual Media Services Directive (AVMS).

The Polish Telemetry Project involved R&D works including tests of the measuring devices carried out by the Institute of Telecommunications.

During the special event in Krynica, the preliminary conclusions from this work were presented:

•    Significant differences in efficiency between each of the devices
•    Interference has no critical impact on recognition
•    The programme type has little impact on the efficiency of recognition
•    Keeping the mobile meter in a bag or backpack affects the efficiency of measurement
•    The programme category has a negligible impact on its recognition
•    Differences in the level of recognition for radio and television programmes are small
•    Personal sensors are relatively good at dealing with single interferences
•    Personal telemetry sensors may be used for testing the consumption of media in various everyday-life conditions

“5.8 million observations were carried out, totalling 1174 hours of testing. There were 26 devices from six sensor suppliers tested, which is 80% all those available on the Polish market. Currently, a report on the tests is being prepared,” – said Andrzej Olszewski, an expert for the Polish Telemetry Project.

In the framework of the project, a functioning single-source media measurement system was launched. Over 400 devices were implemented, both fixed and mobile, to work online and collect data on the consumption of media such as: television, radio and the internet. The panel will be expanded to include other panellists with different devices using new, emerging technologies.

“We are the leader in the work on a new standard of research. Our panel is at the phase of very advanced testing. It is not yet calibrated, but what we have managed to achieve is encouraging. There are many things that have surprised us in the work on its development, there are many things that we have learnt, but today we are one of the most advanced teams in the world working on a media consumption measurement system operating on market conditions and based on single-source measurement. The next stage will be a prototype – ready for deployment as a target device. It will serve as a basis for the development of a solution that will be an independent, but accepted and recognised currency on the market.” – said Michał Wigurski, a manager of the Polish Telemetry Project.

During the special event in Krynica, a presentation was made concerning the operation of measurement devices for the single-source collection of data in the operating panel. This is an essential element of the technical implementation of the project.

“The measurements for radio and television in the presented system are carried out passively, using the audio matching method. The internet is measured at browser level. In addition, the tests include measuring the distance between the measuring devices and the sound level, and data are collected from accelerometers. This allows us to more accurately know how and where media are being consumed. The devices transmit data to the central system located in the cloud, where these are then analysed, and on this basis the panel quality is optimised.
This is a functioning single-source measurement system, but it is still at the stage of experimentation and research work.” – said Tomasz Figura, an expert for the Polish Telemetry Project team.

A functioning online analysis system was also presented, showing data input from the decoders. With previously signed contracts, the National Broadcasting Council currently has access to around 4.8 million anonymised data from the RPD return path.

“We implement database integrations and the standard for the transmitted files. We have signed an agreement between the National Broadcasting Council and the National Chamber for Ethernet Communications (KIKE), and we are negotiating with other chambers. We are also signing agreements directly with the operators, the most recent one was with UPC. As a result, we will have access to another database of decoders. We are also in the process of signing further, tripartite agreements between the National Broadcasting Council, Emitel – a terrestrial platform operator – and individual broadcasters. This gives us the potential access to anonymised data from almost 3 million terrestrial television receivers.” – said Marcin Grabowski, an expert for the Polish Telemetry Project team.

The RPD data are necessary for the implementation of the DAI (Dynamic Ad Insertion) in linear television, live streaming and VOD services, which allows a switch to ads in real time. At the same time, the National Broadcasting Council is working on an analysis of the current legislation and proposals for the adaptation of law to the challenges of new technology.
“After the introduction of DAI on the British market, it was observed that engagement with the watched content increased by 30%, and the willingness to change the TV channel decreased by 50%; the observed responsiveness to the served advertising content also increased by 10%. In addition, it was observed that new – and absent so far – local customers started to watch TV, which translated into the possibility of increasing the prices of advertising on television.” – added Marcin Grabowski, an expert for the Polish Telemetry Project team.

DAI is an example of how the market will be able to earn money on new technologies. But for that, a new media consumption measurement standard is necessary, based on a single-source measurement, RPD and data from internet operators.

“New research means an improved ability to reach the consumer for all the media in Poland. The media market in Poland should consolidate around the research in order to better challenge the world’s internet giants, because as much as 80% of every single new Polish zloty that appears on the advertising market is collected by social media operators. The Polish Telemetry Project is beneficial from the perspective of the economy, small businesses and local communities.” – concluded Andrzej Olszewski, an expert for the Polish Telemetry Project.
The Polish Telemetry Project envisages a telemetry panel with 26 000 respondents, a single-source measurement for TV, radio and the internet – media consumption measurement outside the home and on mobile devices. In addition, the RPD panel is to be launched as part of the project and eventually it will encompass 11 million households.
An important aspect is the already-mentioned single source of data, which means that the data on various media – television, radio and the internet – come from the same panellist.