Media agencies and advertisers in the UAE can now have a proper system to measure the audience of the TV channels being watched in the country as the Emirates Media Measurement Company (EMMC) announced that the television audience measurement system or people-meters is ready.

A staged rollout of the system has started on Sunday before the official launch in October 2012. The people-meter system will be known in the UAE as ‘tview’ and its objective is to advance the TV media industry by generating transparent, accountable and reliable ratings that will be used as a currency of trade.

This viewing research data will enable broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers to improve TV programming, scheduling and advertising.

The tview’s unique proposition is that it provides minute-by-minute viewing data delivered the following day. The data includes additional demographic information such as nationality, gender, location, age and socio-economic status for viewers aged four and above, although all data is reported anonymously and individuals are not identified.

“tview is a major step forward for the TV and advertising industry in the UAE, providing in-depth, objective data which can be used to make better programmes, improve TV schedules and help advertisers reach the people who are most interested in their products,” said Christopher O’Hearn, EMMC’s General Manager.

The EMMC is a joint venture of leading broadcast entities including Abu Dhabi Media, Sharjah Media, Rotana Media, and Etisalat, and is also supported by Du. The project was the result of a Cabinet initiative and has been led by the National Media Council and the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA). Ibrahim Al Abed, Director-General of the National Media Council, is the chairman of EMMC and Mohammed Al Ghanim, TRA Director-General, sits on the board.

“This is the first project of its kind in the Gulf and I am very pleased that the UAE, with its thriving media sector, is leading the way. I look forward to the success of the system and encourage its adoption by broadcasters and advertisers,” said Ibrahim Al Abed.

The project has been underway since January 2010 and was endorsed by the Ministerial Council for Services in March 2010, with the first steps being large scale surveys and the setup of the sample panel representing the UAE population. A total of 850 homes have been chosen to take part and become the tview panel and have the people meter boxes installed in their homes and connected to the television screens.