BARB Invites Tenders for Key Contracts

In the UK, television audience measurement body BARB has issued an invitation to tender for two of its main research contracts: the first for its audience measurement panel and data publication, and the second for survey design and methodology.

BARB (the Broadcasters' Audience Research Board) provides official viewing figures for UK television audiences, and collects observational data on how people watch TV on different devices from a nationally representative panel of 5,300 households. It also collects census-level data for viewing on tablets, PCs and smartphones using software embedded in broadcast video-on-demand (BVOD) services by BARB-reported channels, with multiple-screen viewing figures produced by combining these two data sources.

The organisation says it is preparing for the challenge of keeping pace with continuing changes in how people watch television, and its current priorities including delivering the next two stages of its multiple-screen audience reporting initiative, Project Dovetail. The two new contracts will begin in 2023 and run for an initial period of six years. BARB will also invite tenders for a panel set-up recruitment contract, which will be specified in line with the winning bid for the audience measure panel and data publication contract.

CEO Justin Sampson comments: 'Our vision is to have the versatility to track the technologies that media companies will use to reach viewers throughout the 2020s. This tender process will ensure we are working with research agencies that are best-equipped to deliver solutions for this challenge in the decade to come'.

Further information about the two contracts can be obtained by contacting simone.adams@barb.co.uk .

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