The Audiovisual Media Authority organized today, the thematic roundtable, “Audience Measurement in the Albanian audiovisual market and the modalities for the realization of this process”. With the participation of high-level management representatives of media operators producing audiovisual content or programs and of advertising agencies operating in the market, the meeting aimed at initiating the process of audience measurement, as a necessity for the smooth functioning of the audiovisual market.
Audience measurement is an indicator of the amount and composition of the audience for television broadcast programs. With this information, AMSPs can adjust their program content and broadcast times in response to audience feedback. The realization of the audience measurement represents a necessity for the reality of the Albanian audiovisual market, as an important instrument for identifying the extent of the media influence of AMSPs on the general public, for strengthening transparency in the audiovisual market, increasing the variety of audiovisual services, etc.
The need for the realization of the Audience Measurement is also stipulated in emphasis at the recent Progress Report for Albania, of the European Union, for the year 2023. The highlighted note that one of the worrying issues, in terms of media freedom in the country, lies in the concentration of the market and audience, as well as the media funding lack of transparency. To this end, it is Albania’s task to commit to the audience measurement process.
“Furthermore, following the screening process of October and according to the Rule of Law Roadmap 2024-2030, a government policy paper of Albania, adopted by the Decision of the Council of Ministers in the middle of December 2023, AMA has the task of addressing the issue of the concentration of the media market, increasing transparency, regulating aspects of media ownership and audience expansion”, as stated by AMA’s President, Mrs. Armela Krasniqi in the opening remark of this activity. ‘According to the Roadmap, the commitment of AMA as a regulatory authority is to start this year, i.e. during 2024, the audience measurement process, enabling operators producing audio and audiovisual content or programs, in guaranteeing a transparent process. AMA undertakes this task by contributing to the methodology and plans to set up and implement the system in the realization of this process”.
In this regard, AMA has also prepared draft proposals for the relevant amendments in its own organic law, by integrating the concept of Audience Measurement. Currently, the proposed amendments are in the public consultation phase.
‘136 AMSPs operate in the Albanian audio visual market, producing audio and audiovisual content or programs, for a population of about 2.9 million inhabitants,’ stated Krasniqi. ‘What does this mean?’ It means that, in this variety of media offers, audience measurement stands for a necessity, as an irreplaceable instrument for identifying the extent of media influence of AMSPs on the public, as a tool for strengthening transparency in the Albanian audiovisual market, and also for the increase in the variety of audiovisual services. Audience measurement represents a necessity due to the fact that it serves more to the operators themselves to demonstrate them the amount and composition of the audience following their programming, trends and preferences, the right amount of time and the prospect of the future selections. Therefore, it is an extremely useful process in the medium and long-term context of the media businesses.
Moreover, Ronelda Rrapollari, AMA’s Secretary General, introduced to the attendees two models of audience measurement, implemented in neighbouring countries, from a geographical point of view, due to with similar economic and social realities, respectively in North Macedonia and Croatia. North Macedonia undertook the necessary legal amendments in 2014 aiming at the audience measurement. Croatia initiated audience measurement in 2019. In both given cases, from the consultation process, it emerged that the best way to organize the audience measurement process was to start with the establishment of the Joint Industry Committee, which determines the level of administration of the funding sources by the participating AMSPs as well as implementation of standardized measurement and evaluation methodology, contributing to the guarantee of transparency and accountability.
The provision of the audience measurement service in these countries has resulted in significant improvements in quality, the expansion of the audience measurement panel (TAM) from 810 to 1000 households, the integration of new technological solutions, as well as the establishment and observance of the highest performance standards, jointly adopted by the Joint Industry Committees.
As the independent regulatory authority, AMA has a supporting role in the audience measurement process. The authority shall design the methodology of this process.
“Currently, AMA is researching the best practices followed in several EU countries and the region where the audience measurement has been carried out in advance”, stated Krasniqi. From the experiences studied so far, it results that the market media operators, in agreement with each other, must establish a common organizational structure for the selection of the company that will perform the audience measurement, to guarantee a transparent and reliable process for the relevant stakeholders. AMA shall play a supporting role by contributing to the methodology of this process. We are available and open for any required support until the beginning of the implementation of this methodology by the audiovisual media operators themselves”.
Further, the meeting was followed by discussions on the possibilities of carrying out the audience measurement process and ultimately it was agreed to establish, as a start, a working group, composed of audiovisual operators and advertising agencies present in the meeting, as the forerunner of the Joint Industry Committee. AMA in this process shall maintain a coordinating role and in the next meeting will introduce models taken from other countries of the Region enabling the operators to choose the best and most suitable model for them, to further continue with the modalities of performing the audience measurement.
