Financial Mail reports that the South African Advertising Research Foundation (SAARF) has disputed the reasons that television and radio broadcasters have cited for their decision not to use SAARF research after next year.
Public service broadcaster SABC and free-to-air commercial broadcaster e.tv are among the broadcasters who have decided to dispense with SAARF’s services, claiming that the organisation’s audience measurement research is unreliable and that these inaccurate statistics have cost them dearly in terms of misdirected advertising.
The National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) also intends to withdraw from SAARF. NAB holds two of SAARF’s 13 board seats.
According to SAARF, an independent audit of its Television Audience Measurement Survey (TAMS) conducted late last year by French firm CESP proves that it is in line with international practice.
The SABC and e.tv reportedly now want a new industry research body “which is sensitive to the fast-changing demographics of South Africa and which treats all South African audiences with equal importance’.
(Additional source: TV with Thinus)
