Austereo Boss to Chair OzTAM following Complaint

OzTAM - Australia's official source of television audience measurement - has appointed media veteran Michael Anderson as independent Chairman, following a complaint last year from broadcaster Network Ten about the way ratings were being measured for one of its digital channels.

In August, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) was called in to investigate Network Ten's complaints that ratings for its channel ONE were not being reported separately.

ACCC found OzTAM's three Board Directors were in a position to block this type of request, which the commission saw as potentially anti-competitive. As a result, OzTAM - and its three shareholders Seven Network, Nine Network, and Network Ten - agreed with ACCC to add an independent Chairman to the Board.

Anderson joins with a 25-year media industry background, having spent nearly two decades with the Austereo radio network, including six years as CEO and 12 years as National Sales Director. He is currently a non-executive director of Fairfax Media.

Steve Weaver, who steps down as OzTAM Chairman but remains a Director, welcomed Anderson to the Board, saying that his diverse experience, industry relationships and commercial acumen will be of great benefit and guidance to the directors and management team.

'I am looking forward to joining OzTAM at this time of explosive growth in digital television channels and consumer choice,' Anderson commented. 'Advertisers, more than ever before, need to understand viewer behaviour in this rapidly changing environment, and OzTAM is ideally positioned to offer additional insight and research leadership.'

Web site: www.oztam.com.au .