The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC), the independent non-profit industry body providing objective and transparent audience data for the radio, television, marketing and advertising sectors, has announced an imminent major release updating their radio audience measurement data.
The Q4 2023 RAMS Amplify dataset will span a comprehensive 24-month period, from January 2022 to December 2023. As previously communicated through various updates and live sessions, the BRC is aligning the Crosstab dataset with the Reach & Frequency (R&F) dataset for consistency and enhanced analytical capability.
“Historically, the Crosstab dataset was a 12-month rolling, yesterday recall dataset, while the R&F dataset operated on a 24-month rolling, past-7-day (P7D) basis,” said Gary Whitaker, CEO of the BRC. “The Q4 2023 RAMS Amplify release will now standardize both the Crosstab and R&F datasets to a 24-month rolling, P7D view, ensuring coherence and uniformity.”
To reiterate:
- The R&F component is designed for campaign planning, media buying and ad booking purposes.
- The Crosstab component should be used for strategic audience insights and analysis.
In their commitment for timely data delivery, the BRC will not be reworking the Q1, Q2, and Q3 2023 Crosstab datasets at this stage. These datasets will remain available but will be updated to the 24-month rolling, P7D format in due course. Consequently, comparisons or trend analyses between the Q4 2023 Crosstab release and earlier Crosstab datasets should be avoided until the conversion is complete.
The BRC strongly cautions against making comparisons between the different dataset formats, as these comparisons would incorrectly be comparing a 12-month rolling, yesterday recall dataset with a 24-month rolling, P7D dataset. Any apparent increases or decreases when comparing the two datasets are not reflective of genuine audience shifts. Accurate insights into audience changes will only be possible once the Q1, Q2, and Q3 2023 Crosstab datasets have been converted to the new format.
“Please consider the January 2022 to December 2023 dataset as a starting point until the earlier 2023 datasets have been updated,” concludes Whitaker. “We appreciate the understanding and cooperation as we transition to this improved measurement framework. Should there be any questions or clarification, please do not hesitate to contact us.”
The Q4 2023 RAMS Amplify dataset spanning January 2022 to December 2023 is scheduled for release in the coming weeks.
For more information on the BRC visit https://brcsa.org.za/
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“Our long-standing MAPS program exemplifies the cutting-edge market intelligence capabilities within the South African research community,” said Johann Koster, CEO of the Marketing Research Foundation. “By collaborating with renowned organisations like ESOMAR, we were able to highlight how the quality, integrity and thoroughness of MAPS aligns with the highest global standards for consumer analytics.”
“South Africa’s radio landscape is incredibly vibrant with over 300 community and commercial stations broadcasting in 11 official languages across four distinct audience segments,” said the BRC’s CEO, Gary Whitaker. “Accurately measuring listening in this complex environment requires innovative methodologies and robust data integration.”
“The Television universe was updated in October 2020; however, much has happened over the past three years. It remains critical that all changes in South African viewership be reflected in the universe,” says BRC’s CEO, Gary Whitaker.
The MRF’s CEO, Johann Koster says, “The upcoming latest iteration of MAPS will provide insights into consumer behaviour and spending patterns from the first quarter of 2023. It will be interesting to see data from this year coming through.”