MUMBAI: NDS and TNS Media Research (TNS) have announced an enhancement to their joint TV audience measurement offering, adding the ability to identify individual viewers in homes that have agreed to participate on a measurement panel.

The RPDi solution, based on the NDS Dynamic audience measurement system and TNS’s RaPiDView analysis service, will help TV operators better understand audience behaviour by collecting and analysing data about individual viewers as well as information at the household level.

NDS will demonstrate the RPDi solution for the first time at IBC 09 in Amsterdam. An easy-to-use application prompts viewers to identify themselves by their first name using their remote control and allows users to add any additional guests watching TV alongside them. The service only measures audience viewing in those homes that have agreed to participate through an opt-in process.

NDS product marketing manager for ad solutions Gideon Gilboa says, “Operators are turning to STB measurement because it allows them to truly understand the behaviours of their subscribers, providing rich data not available from traditional measurement methods. This includes niche channel viewing, time-shifted TV and interactive usage.

"To date this has mostly been reported on a household level but with RPDi customers can have the best of both worlds: rich STB data and strong individual level reporting to improve their business decisions and advertising sales”.TNS Media Research global head of RPD Nick Burfitt says, ”RPD is becoming a standard tool among TV operators in developed markets for driving strategic decisions related to their business. Enriching this tool with individual viewing data adds key information on audience demographics and composition. RPDi is a cost-effective way to bring this functionality to the STB” .

NDS and TNS announced their partnership to create and market an end-to-end STB audience measurement solution for digital TV operators at IBC 2008. Joint customers include BSkyB, DIRECTV, Sky Television in New Zealand and FOXTEL.

In addition to audience measurement, the NDS Dynamic suite comprises two additional solutions:

• Addressable Advertising – This solution replaces broadcast ads with addressable ones based on household or audience profiles, location and other factors. Operators can continue to sell ads based on the same terms and demographic data as available previously, but with the new powerful ability to segment the audience for every spot. With NDS Dynamic, advertisers and operators can generate more advertising revenues by communicating with new targeted audiences. Furthermore, audiences can benefit from seeing more ads that are relevant to them.

• Interactive Advertising – This capability offers viewers the ability to interact with ads in various formats. These include telescopic ads that allow linking with longer format content; EPG ads that link to advertorial content; dedicated advertiser location ads that allow access to a product mini-site; and request for information ads that allow viewers to contact advertisers for more information or samples.