We plan to enter social media monitoring spectrum in near future: R S Iyer

Interview with MD, Esha Media Research Ltd

BSE Listed television monitoring agency Esha Media Research Ltd's (EMR) said it is venturing television rating point (TRP) space. Pravda Godbole spoke to R S Iyer, managing director, EMR about the company's plans.

In how many cities in India do you exist and currently that presence is in what space?
Esha Media Research Ltd serves its clients on pan-India basis with offices in Mumbai, Pune and Hyderabad. Esha Media covers television content monitoring, ad monitoring, transcription and research.

What are your plans for the TRP space?

Yes, we are in serious contention of foraying into TRP segment based on our standing as a neutral entity without any bias towards advertising agency or broadcasters. Launching a TRP rating is a long drawn process, which begins opting for the right technology and systems, taking necessary regulatory approvals from Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) and TRAI to operational issues including under take third party survey to identify and then accordingly installing the set top boxes across a huge sample of over 50,000 households. We would kick start this process within three months of receiving all approvals.

What is your investment in this expansion plan?
We intend to invest up to Rs 450 crore in the next 5 years. 

What tool will you use for television audience measurement?
Globally as also in India, TV audience is measured through set top boxes installed at the viewers end. There are new technologies and systems being explored to bring in an element of transparency to avoid tampering of data. We are in the process of finalising the right technology option.

With TV content now being available on various other formats apart from the physical television, how difficult has it made accurate measurement?

We have plans to enter the social media monitoring spectrum in the not so distant future. However, at the moment, Esha Media will concentrate on the conventional television as the ratio of other television viewed on social media is negligible in India as of now.

As a new player in this space how will you ensure you have a fool-proof mechanism?
Since the options for various solutions in this spectrum are evolving, we are in the process of fine tuning our system by opting for the right technology solution, which is free from human intervention.

Will the ratings given by you be accepted in the industry? What kind of best practise will you follow for recognition of your ratings in the industry?

TRAI - the regulator has issued guidelines on audience measurement tools and invited comments on the same. As an ethical corporate citizen, we will comply with all necessary regulations as prescribed by the regulator.

How will EMR ensure its ratings reflect on the programmes accurately?
To ensure accuracy in the ratings, the regulator has prescribed solutions like imbibing people meter in the set top boxes, which has not prevailed so far. We welcome the regulators' initiative to ensure transparent and neutral rating systems by increasing the sample size of viewership, which we will absorb as part of good practise.

Will your measurement methods be self-regulatory to ensure the above?

The regulator has issued draft guidelines. We will comply with the same as they evolve and are finalised.

Have you tied up with prospect clients who will be interested in your analysis of the audience behaviour?
As per the initial feedback, we have received encouraging response from the users but formal tie-ups will only come through close to the launch of the services.

What will be your subscription fee like?
We are working our tariff structure. All we can say at this point of time is that it will be attractively and competitively priced with value proposition to the users.

Are there any guidelines for rating from the government's side? If yes, will you be abiding by those?
The draft guidelines have been issued by the government and comments are invited. We stand by our commitment to follow the guidelines prescribed by the regulator.

Recently the TRAI issued a paper on accreditation mechanism for rating agency and had invited comments on the same. Has EMR submitted some?
We are in the process of drafting our comments and will shortly submit the same.

Which are the other segments apart from TV that you intend to get into and by when?
Being an established player in the TV monitoring business for over a decade, we intend to foray to print monitoring, Internet and social media monitoring by August 2013. We are in the process of tying up some loose ends and should be formally be able to announce the same very soon.