By Ahmad Hathout
The CRTC has put out a contract for a supplier to provide it with broad audience measurement data for radio, television and online services.
The roughly $3-million, four-year contract, published Monday, asks for data on online services, including program and ad-break measurements to the minute (including 15-second granularity); national, provincial and market coverage; daily, weekly and monthly reporting; in- and out-of-home measurement; and comprehensive video/audio consumption for all devices and audiences ages two and up.
The CRTC is currently in the midst of implementing the new Broadcasting Act, which requires the commission regulate online platforms.
It is also asking for television data that include live TV on all screens and catch-up up to 28 days; average minute audience, overnights and weekly releases; and daily and overnight reports on a national level plus Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver.
For radio, it seeks listenership data on all devices, average minute audience, weekly, monthly and quarterly releases and daily radio reports for Montreal, Toronto, Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver in addition to St John’s, Halifax, Moncton, Quebec, Saguenay, Sherbrooke, Trois-Rivieres, Barrie, Hamilton, Kingston, Kitchener-Cambridge-Waterloo, London, Ottawa-Gatineau, St. Catharines-Niagara, Sudbury, Windsor, Winnipeg, Regina, Saskatoon, Kelowna and Victoria.
“The CRTC relies on robust audience metrics to track demographics, preferences and consumption habits of Canadians across radio, television and online platforms,” the regulator says in the contract details. “These insights support policy proceedings, licensing decisions, enforcement of Canadian content quotas and more, ensuring a world-class communications system.”
The CRTC has already selected its existing supplier, Numeris, which is the incumbent national audience measurement organization in the country “operating the only statistically robust, pan-Canadian panels for TV, radio and online services,” the CRTC says in the contract.
“Numeris possesses the unique combination of panel infrastructure, methodology and industry licensing necessary to meet the CRTC’s comprehensive measurement needs,” it adds.
Still, the commission must open it up to possible competitors. Deadline for statements of capabilities is August 19, with contract start date being September 1, 2025.
