Commentary

MRC (WMD?)

1. Ed Papazian from Media Dynamics Inc, May 1, 2023 at 10:53 a.m.

   Interesting piece, Joe. I was there---and sometimes directly involved--when most of the previous attempts to unseat Nielsen as our exclusive supplier of national TV ratings  were launched. It should also be noted that Gale Metzger's SMART initiative was funded to the tune of $30 million by the broadcast TV networks.
   
   As it developed, Gale got lots of encouragement from the networks as well as the agencies and some major TV advertisers and this lead  him to turn to these sources to fund the launch of a rival people meter  rating service. I know as one of my duties as a consultant on this project was to deveolp a rate card for agencies, advertisers and TV time sellers.
   
   The problem as I had seen it with previous efforts  by Arbitron and others was that none of these would be competitors to Nielsen made any effort to disprove Nielsen's findings. Instead some sold based on lower prices, others on small refinements in the methodology, new ways to report the data, timelier data, etc. ---none of which were crucial points of departure. In many cases , if its customers really wanted  such improvements--and would pay a small amount to obtain them, Nielsen would gladly have complied. Moreover, Nielsen had both the staffing and the vast experience required to manage a national rating service and assure that the ratings were deleiverd as promised. But the newbies had no such experience and there was always the danger that something might go wrong or the"spice" wouldn't flow as readily as desired.
   
   As a result, even if SMART had obtained sufficient funding to launch ---mainly from the TV networks--- the networks would have had to continue with Nielsen----and use Nielsen----with SMART operating as a parallel source whose findings  and its growing expertise in maintaining the new service could be evaluated. ---though not, necessarily as a buying -selling currency. This prospect was not a pleasnt one for the networks who, at that time were having serious profit problems and certainly the agencies didn't wish to confuse the issue by using two currencies. As for those big TV advertisers who were so encouraging---they were no shows when it came to funding as well as dictating that their agencies should drop Nielsen and buy SMART. Might Nielsen sue them?
   
   As for the current situation, I see it as a replay from the old playbook for the sellers ---which I can't blame them for attempting.Also, they want to use the so-called "alternative currencies" as qualitative add-ons with advertiser targets of opportunity on a highly selective bsis---again,  I can't fault them on this sales promotional slant. That's what they do---sell time. Anthing that gets one seller more business---or higher CPMs---is a good thing. So why subject these "alternative currencies" to the MRC'svery sound but strict  scrutiny---which many may fail? It all ties together in my mind.

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Tony Jarvis from Olympic Media Consultancy, May 1, 2023 at 11:17 a.m.
Joe, some additions and corrections.
I do not disagree that the current M-CCC is causing significant confusion in the trading/planning/selling TV/Video marketplace although in-depth re-assessments of media research and measurement techniques, approaches and viable technologies are always worthwhile. So a grateful thanks from that perspective to the major networks. 




1. The ARF did NOT conclude at the international "JIC" review meeting January 31 2005, which I Co-Chaired, that JIC's were anti-trust, merely that the "jury was out".  Both NBC/GE & P&G concluded Nielsen would have no case.  (Repeat a lie often enough ...)


2. As one of the most enlightened reporters on media research in our business, you are entitled, and should report how a JIC should and should not roll in the US.  JIC's have long established parameters and critical values to the international ad and media communities.


3. I am working with my international colleagues on "The 10 Cornerstones of JICs" as apparently no industry body ever formerly published them as "we all knew" the parameters and principles.


4. Using this term, JIC, for the current US Multi-Currency Certification Commitee, M-CCC, is I believe not only deceitful but having a supplier/vendor, owned by some of the networks, run a "JIC" or a US M-CCC is surely a conflict of interest as you have suggested in earlier articles.  On top of which its a very hard frustrating job obtaining consensus and agreements between buyers and sellers and OpenAP  already has its data agglomeration work cut out.  Extraordinarily complex!


5. JICs independently manage and own the data currency and its copyright for a single credible objective trading currency on behalf of the industry.


6. Certification and accreditation are as different as chalk and cheese.


7. Deprecation of Big Data is a reality and geting worse which George and the MRC understand inside out!  No massive persons-based calibration panel? No audience currency?  Maybe a cirulation/distribution metric but no audience metric. 


8. Any currency based on content-rendered-counts (aka so called Viewable Impressions), typically STB & ACR data or server data even if "cleaned and verified", is poorly related to measures of "People that watch"- emphasize people and watch. The latter has an established measured relation to actual persons with Eyes/Ears-On and also to outcomes.  So to call any viewable impressions based data an "audience currency" is really stretch.  Ask The Attention Council members!


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Michael Zaneis from TAG, May 1, 2023 at 1:22 p.m.
Hi! We've been running a formal JIC out of the US for the past 3 years. When TAG and JICWEBS (UK-based, thus the JIC term) merged we continued the formal processes of running a JIC. As far as I can tell, a JIC is only a JIC if it has some semblance of governmental support, otherwise it's just an industry self regulatory body.



That being said, I don't think the terms or (informal) definitions make any difference. If the industry can join together to solve these challenges it will be invaluable. 
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John Grono from GAP Research replied, May 1, 2023 at 8:11 p.m.
Michael, none of our JIC's in Australia have governmental support.   The JICs are primarily financed by the media owners, supported by subscribing media agencies and a sprinkle of advertisers etc.   They key though is that we all get a seat at the JIC.   We don't always agree but we inevitably reach a workable solution.
Tony Jarvis from Olympic Media Consultancy, May 1, 2023 at 8:40 p.m.
Michael, to John's observation I have not identified partial government funding as a JIC cornerstone via my international colleagues but clearly it is a potential parameter.  Appreciate the alert and your point is well taken regarding the value in achieving a consensus agreement via an industry consortium on a currency.  Far from easy.  And I did say "a currency" - singular!  Plus the currecny basis and its defintion and derivation are crucial, n'est pas? 
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Michael Zaneis from TAG replied, May 1, 2023 at 8:47 p.m.
Good conversation. I should have been more specific in my original post. We don't receive any government funding. We are 100% industry funded via our 750+ member companies. What I meant was that the government has essentially asked the industry to self regulate and provided some tacit support. This has been my experience with multiple JICs in Europe and APAC. 
Tony Jarvis from Olympic Media Consultancy, May 1, 2023 at 9:51 p.m.
Michael, appreciate the correction.  As you may know the Media Ratinig Council, MRC, here accredites most major media research studies to the Standards or Guidelines it establishes.  Somewhat similar to RSMB's role in the UK I understand.  However, MRC, does not execute nor determine the basis of any media currency just ensures the final results meets its minimum required research/data quality at a highly detailed level usually by the E&Y special team in Tampa, Forida.  
Interestingly MRC was established as a non-profit, multi-partite industry body as a result of serious Government concerns with the TV ratings being "suspect" as a result of "interference" and has grown and evolved from there.  It does not receive any Government funding, has the worst business/funding model imaginable as admitted by its Executive Director and still comes under the auspices of the Department of Justice.      
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