NBCU Embarks on “Unprecedented” Research Initiative

NEW YORK, July 8: NBC Universal has announced plans to
measure its 3,600 hours of coverage from the 2008 Beijing Olympics this August,
offering up a TAMi (Total Audience Measurement Index) to assess the
cross-platform consumption of the event.

"An event of this magnitude requires the biggest and
most sophisticated research effort to measure it," said Alan Wurtzel, the
president of research at NBC Universal. "The size and duration of the
Olympics presents us with extraordinary opportunities to gather data on viewer
behavior. Not only will we measure these Games in a way we've never done
before, but we'll also be able to gather data that helps us better understand
the new media consumer. At the end of the Olympics, no other research entity in
the world will have as much knowledge on cross-platform usage as NBC
Universal."

NBCU says it will issue a daily TAMi, measuring usage across
network and cable television, online, video on demand and mobile. It addition,
it says it will conduct a series of research projects to better understand how
and why consumers are using the multiple media platforms available to them. The
Multi-Platform Consumption Study will survey 500 Olympics consumers online per
day. The Single Source Panel sees NBCU teaming with IMMI to track the media
behavior of a single consumer across all media platforms. Approximately 40
people will carry a special IMMI cell phone that picks up audio cues from the
full range of NBCU platforms airing Olympics coverage. Special software will
also be used to track the participants' Internet usage. NBCU will also assemble
a panel of media consumers and follow their behavior throughout the course of
the Games.

—By Mansha Daswani