TAM Media to double sample size

Chennai: Television viewership tracking company, TAM Media Research, is doubling its sample size of TV homes by increasing the number of peoplemeters (gadgets which trace viewership habits) to 10,300 from about 5,000 at present. Tam will install the peoplemeters in Class-I towns (towns with a population over one lakh).

According to a press release, TAM Media Research was increasing the sample size since the latest National Readership Survey (NRS) has shown a market increase in cable and satellite connectivity. According to the latest NRS, television viewership across the country had grown by 32 per cent while satellite television viewership grew by 53 per cent since 2002.

The press release quotes L V Krishnan, CEO, TAM, saying, "We all know that our TV environment has been changing on three fronts — the universe with more urban population, the TV-universe with more homes having TV sets, and the market with more number of TV channels. Now, NRS-2005 has captured these changes in our TV universe, which in turn, will get reflected in the TAM panel, as well."

TAM will also have an 'elite' tracking service — of the 10,300 peoplemeters, 200 to 300 will track elite households. This service is expected to be ready by the year-end.

TAM is also said to be planning another service for semi-urban and rural areas.