Backed by MYTV Broadcasting, Nielsen’s measurement expansion into East Malaysia provides increased coverage for broadcasters and advertisers, delivering a more comprehensive picture of TV audience measurement
Malaysia – June 15, 2023 – A win for all stakeholders, the expansion of Nielsen panel coverage into East Malaysia, notably the cities of Kota Kinabalu and Kuching, will enable TV broadcasters and advertisers to better understand their audiences outside of Peninsular Malaysia – a first for free-to-air (FTA) TV broadcasting in Malaysia.
Consistent with existing TV audience measurement (TAM) in Peninsular Malaysia, all FTA channels aired via the MYTV platform in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching will be reported into the TAM database, using the same methodology and “Nano Meters” – the devices used by viewers in selected households to share their viewing selections.
This increased measurement gives greater oversight into national digital terrestrial television coverage (100% of the Malaysian population by MYTV complemented by Direct-To-Home Satellite TV) without the need for a high-speed broadband connection.
Puan Azlina Mohd Yusof, Chief Operating Officer of MYTV, hailed the collaboration, saying, “It’s a new era of viewership analytics, which will help Malaysian FTA broadcasters better serve the nation with high-quality content and entertainment. MYTV is proud of this collaboration with Nielsen, which will glean new insights into FTA television viewership in Kota Kinabalu and Kuching. It’s a breakthrough in the Malaysian FTA broadcast industry, which will increase the ability to grow Adex and deliver more accurate analytics for all parties.” The addition of Kota Kinabalu and Kuching sees the TV audience sample size in Malaysia increased by more than 27%, encompassing some 1,400 households.
This collaboration between Nielsen and MYTV in Malaysia demonstrates Nielsen’s continued commitment to growing and supporting the Malaysian media industry, says Nielsen Asia President (Commercial), Arnaud Frade: “It’s crucial for broadcasters to be able to demonstrate the power and value of their reach across a wider range of audiences and population centres, and we’re excited to help them do that”.
While enabling broadcasters to better show the true scale of their audiences, improved audience measurement coverage will also greatly benefit advertisers, says Nielsen Asia Lead (Broadcasters & Publishers), Catherine Zhao: “Using this data and insight to help MYTV, public and private broadcasters ensure that the service and content provided helps meet the needs of Malaysian consumers. Advertisers can now be more certain than ever that their messaging reaches the right audiences, in the right places, at the right time, greatly improving ROI and overall confidence in the industry.”
MYTV is now available to almost 132,000 people in Kota Kinabalu and more than 273,000 in Kuching. From 1 April to 9 May, FTA was enjoyed by over 110,000 people (or 84% of all viewers) in Kota Kinabalu, and roughly 208,000 people (76% of all viewers) in Kuching.
Since the migration from analog to digital services, audience numbers in Peninsular Malaysia has grown from 4.9 million in 2019 to more than 6 million to date, this is on par with the increased total number of viewers who have access to MYTV in Peninsular Malaysia, Kota Kinabalu and Kuching.
*Source: TAM data period from 1 April 2023 to 9 May 2023 – Total unique and unduplicated viewers aged 4+ who watched FTA channels using MYTV decoder/Digital TV only
About MYTV Broadcasting
MYTV Broadcasting was appointed to develop and operate the infrastructure and network facilities for Digital TV in Malaysia. MYTV serves as a platform for Free Digital TV that is made available for all Malaysians. This Digital TV platform also provides access to more content for viewers, while creating opportunities for content creators and owners, as well as new opportunities for broadcasters to expand their reach and business. MYTV has recently soft
launched its mobile application called MYTV ManaMana which is currently available on all Android Playstore, iOS Appstore and the web.
Learn more at www.mytvbroadcasting.my and www.mana2.my. Connect with us on social media (Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn,).
About Nielsen
Nielsen shapes the world’s media and content as a global leader in audience measurement, data and analytics. Through our understanding of people and their behaviors across all channels and platforms, we empower our clients with independent and actionable intelligence so they can connect and engage with their audiences – now and into the future. Nielsen operates around the world in more than 55 countries. Learn more at www.nielsen.com and connect with us on social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram).
How Nielsen measures TV viewership in Malaysia
Nielsen uses a panel, which takes into consideration the complexity of the market, the diversity of the target population, the data granularity required for analysis, etc. Other factors, such as the quality of the data collection methods, and the accuracy of the measurement instruments etc, are also important considerations.
Nano meters (Nielsen’s proprietary technology) are then installed by Nielsen’s trained and experienced technicians and the meter is connected to each TV set in the panelists’ household. Every individual in the household is assigned a button to register their viewing. Panelists receive clear instructions on how to operate the meter remote control, including when to register and to de-register themselves. Individual household members are identified as joining in or departing from the viewing audience and reported accordingly. A demonstration on using the meter and the remote control are part of the induction training. This includes how to register and the buttons assigned to each household member.
