• by Erik Sass , August 13, 2008

As out-of-home video grows by leaps and bounds and the industry collaborates to produce a common audience metric, Arbitron is angling for a piece of the measurement business. It is using both its custom survey division and its new Portable People Meter, a passive electronic measurement device.

Most recently, the company said its Arbitron Custom division was hired by KidCare TV--a place-based digital video network in general pediatric waiting rooms--to gauge the response of visitors and employees to the network, which delivers content about childhood-related illnesses and preventative health care.

In this capacity, Arbitron will conduct visitor surveys to determine general awareness of the medium, advertising recall and sentiment about the content. Carol Hanley, a senior vice president of sales for Arbitron, remarked: "By better understanding audiences, KidCare TV will be better able to compete with traditional media. Developing metrics on engagement and consumer experience will provide advertisers with audience delivery validation for improved return on investment."

Arbitron has also promoted its Portable People Meter, a passive electronic measurement device, as a measurement option for television viewing outside the home.

In January, the company contracted with BroadSign to perform third-party proof-of-play audits for its digital signage network. To make their content measurable by PPM measurement, place-based video networks need only encode it with an inaudible tagging system.

Almost a decade ago, Arbitron proposed partnering with Nielsen Media Research to use PPM for TV measurement, but was rebuffed in 2006 when Nielsen terminated its option to join in the PPM commercial rollout. Subsequently, Nielsen signed a deal with Integrated Media Measurement Inc. to measure out-of-home exposure with a panel of 4,700 people carrying specially modified AT&T cell phones; the service is scheduled to launch this summer.