Audience, AMA: We only have a stimulating role

2024-04-20 08:54:00, Aktualitet CNA

This year, the Audiovisual Media Authority developed two tables centered around audience measurement. In a reaction to "Monitor", this institution underlines that its role is only an incentive and that the foundations have already been laid for the process to advance with other market parties.

Below is the AMA's full response to the process and its step-by-step progress.

“On the Audience Measurement process as it pertains to the AMA's role, it is important to note that:

1- AMA in the process has a stimulating role. In the proposals for changes in the law 97/2013, "On audiovisual media in the Republic of Albania", as amended - currently in the public consultation phase - the concept of Audience Measurement is included.

2- Also: The need for the realization of Audience Measurement is also emphasized in the last Progress report for Albania, of the European Union, for the year 2023, where it is emphasized that one of the worrying issues, in terms of media freedom in the country, is market and audience concentration, as well as the lack of transparency of media funding.

In this context, it is Albania's duty to commit to the performance of the Audience Measurement process.

Meanwhile, after the screening process of October and according to the Roadmap of the State of Law 2024-2030, a document of Albania's state policy, approved by the Decision of the Council of Ministers in December 2023, the AMA has been given the task of addressing the issue of media market concentration, increasing transparency, regulating aspects of media ownership and audience extension.

According to the Guide, the engagement of the AMA, as a regulatory authority, is the beginning of the audience measurement process by helping operators who produce audio and audiovisual content or programs, in ensuring a transparent process. The AMA will do this by contributing to the methodology and plan to set up and implement the system that accomplishes this process.

Two tables with market participants

In this context, on January 15, AMA organized the First Round Table with the theme, "Measuring the audience in the Albanian audiovisual market and the modalities for the realization of this process".

With the participation of high-level management representatives of operators that produce audiovisual content or programs and of advertising agencies operating in the market, in this meeting the need to start the process of audience measurement was laid out, as a necessity for the smooth functioning of the audiovisual market. in place.

During the meeting, AMA presented to the attendees two models of audience measurement, realized in neighboring countries and close to Albania, from a geographical point of view, but also with similar economic and social realities, namely in North Macedonia and Croatia. North Macedonia made the necessary legal changes, in function of audience measurement, in 2014.

Croatia started audience measurement in 2019. In both cases, the consultation process found that the best way to organize the audience measurement process was to form the Joint Industry Committee, which determines the level of administration of funding sources from the participating OSHMAs, as well as the implementation of the standardized measurement and evaluation methodology, in order to ensure transparency and accountability.

The provision of the audience measurement service in these countries has resulted in significant improvements in quality, the expansion of the viewership measurement panel (TAM) from 810 to 1000 households, the integration of new technological solutions, as well as the establishment and compliance of the highest standards. high performance standards, jointly approved by the Joint Industry Committees.

Further, the meeting continued with discussions on the possibilities of realizing the audience measurement process, and in the end it was agreed to create, as a start, a working group, whose members will be all audiovisual operators and advertising agencies of present at the meeting, as the forerunner of the Joint Industry Committee.

AMA in this process will have a coordinating role and in the next meeting will bring models taken from other countries of the Region, so that the operators can choose the best and most suitable model for them, to continue further further with the modalities of performing the audience measurement.

On January 31, AMA organized the second Roundtable, where it presented other practices taken from Bulgaria, Austria, Spain, North Macedonia and Turkey.

After discussions about the methodology that will be applied to the Audience Measurement process, the parties have agreed on the creation of the Joint Industry Committee, as an organizing and decision-making entity of the audience measurement process.

Establishment of the Joint Committee

The accepted formula for this Committee is with 9 members, which include:

- representatives of 3 private television stations with a national license

- representatives of 3 regional televisions

– Public Television

– 2 members from the association of advertising agencies.

It was agreed that the widely accepted Formula will be implemented after the time requested by the representatives of the regional and local televisions, to study the examples taken from the countries of the region and after deciding among themselves how to select their representatives.

In the capacity of the independent regulatory authority, AMA with the same role, as the instigator of the process, also organized the third Roundtable, this time with the participation of only representatives of regional and local televisions to discuss the process of selecting their 3 representatives in Joint Committee of Industry (KPI).

In the end, the parties have voted and agreed on the formula to be used for the selection, which will be based on the following criteria:

– Annual rotation, determined by the results that will emerge from the audience measurement

- The number of insured employees and the value of social security for the last two years.

The 3 representatives of local and regional televisions in KPI also appear from these data. Viewership rating is an indicator of the amount and composition of the audience for television programs.

With this information, OSHMAs can adjust their program content and broadcast times in response to audience feedback.

The realization of the audience measurement is a necessity for the reality of the Albanian audiovisual market, as an important instrument for identifying the extent of the media influence of OSHMAs on the general public, for strengthening transparency in the audiovisual market, increasing the variety of audiovisual services, etc. ./Monitor