FG officially inaugurates Audience Measurement Panel
By Felicia Nwosu
In the quest to chart a pathway for a model that allows Nigeria’s creative industry to harness its full potential, a 15 – member panel has been inaugurated by the Federal Government, through the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, to ensure the delivery of an empirical audience measurement system that will catalyse investment in broadcast and advertising industries.
Federal Government in demonstration of its commitment towards the initiative selected some key players who also major as heads of sectoral groups to head the leadership of the inaugurated committee with their experience and expertise.
A reliable source, who hinted MARKETING EDGE mid-week, said the panel which was officially inaugurated in Abuja, last week Friday, will temporarily hold bi-weekly virtual meetings to aid further deliberations on the execution and sustenance of a reliable audience measurement system.
In an earlier submission, Alhaji Mohammed had noted that the introduction of a scientific audience measurement system will boost investments in Nigeria’s broadcast and advertising industries and as well ensure the success of the DSO project.
“We are undaunted by the enormity of the challenges we face in this regard, because we have a bunch of committed, patriotic and hardworking men and women to tackle the challenges headlong,” the Minister said while inaugurating the 15-member committee.
According to him, the inauguration is the culmination of a series of events that included the setting up of the Task Team on Audience Measurement and the selection of First Media and Entertainment Integrated (Nigeria) Limited, a marketing research company based in Lagos, to deliver audience measurement services in Nigeria.
Alhaji Mohammed reaffirmed that the absence of a scientific audience measurement system has resulted in under-development in the broadcast and advertising industries and stunted their growth.
“Nigeria’s broadcast advertising market is punching far below its weight, especially when the country’s population is taken into account. Despite having a population more than three times that of South Africa, Nigeria’s television advertising market revenue in 2016 was US$309 million, compared to that of South Africa, which was US$1.3 billion. Nigeria’s broadcast advertising market is also third in Africa, behind that of South Africa and Kenya.
“The immediate challenge before us, therefore, is to bring the under-performing Nigeria TV and radio advertising market to what it should be – which is two or three times what it is now. If we do that, it could result in additional US$400 million revenue or more in the industry in the next three years,” he said.
He charged the task force to identify best practice audience measurement system that will support the sustainable growth of the Nigerian Creative and Entertainment Industry; supervise the established framework for supporting the sustainability of the audience measurement system, independent of the Federal Government; and recommend a payment and disbursement framework among the key stakeholders in the industry, that is; Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), Media Independent Practitioners Association of Nigeria (MIPAN) and Advertisers Association of Nigeria (ADVAN).
Members of the panel include: Tolu Ogunkoya, Regional Managing Director at mediaReach OMD who will be heading the group as the as Chairman, while other members are: Femi Adelusi, Steve Babaeko, Bunmi Adeniba, Jibe Ologe, YinkaOduniyi, Guy Murray Bruce, Kadaria Ahmed, Pauline Ehusani, Ijedi Iyoha, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi, Sa’a Ibrahim, Mahmoud Ali-Balogun, Obi Asika and Joe Mutah, Secretary.
Responding, the Task Force Chairman, Mr. Ogunkoya, promised that his panel would take the charge by the Minister very seriously, adding, “If we get this right, we would have done the industry and the nation proud.”
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