Partners to Monitor Digital TV in Africa

French media research agency Médiamétrie has teamed up with African group Omedia to launch the continent's first DTT barometer, covering the French-speaking sub-Saharan region.

The countries of sub-Saharan Africa are in the middle of a five-year switchover to digital terrestrial television (DTT), to be completed in 2020, with states like Senegal (pictured) and Côte d'Ivoire already receiving it.

The new Omedia-Médiamétrie barometer will measure the general public's awareness, perception and expectations regarding DTT, as well as equipment used / purchase intentions. Results will be reported twice a year for each country, with digital TV indicators for Côte d'Ivoire, Senegal, Mali and Gabon due to be added from June, and other French-speaking countries to be added in December. Fieldwork will consist of 600 ftf interviews per wave per country (700 in Côte d'Ivoire), with a representative sample of the population aged 15 years and older.

Christophe Gondry is Managing Partner of Omedia, which has offices in Dakar (Sénégal), Abidjan (Côte Ivoire), Bamako (Mali), Libreville (Gabon), Kinshasa (République Démocratique du Congo) and Lyon, France. He comments: 'This barometer reflects Omedia's desire to bring market information to decision makers. We are combining our local expertise with Médiamétrie's know-how in order to monitor the evolution of DTT on our continent'. Benoît Cassaigne, Executive Director of Médiamétrie, adds: 'By launching the digital TV barometer, Médiamétrie and Omedia are supporting media and communication stakeholders through the heralded expansion of DTT in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa'.

The firms are online at www.omedia-group.com and www.mediametrie.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.