MUMBAI: US broadcaster Disney/ABC Television Group’s ABC Research team and media research company Nielsen have announced a new and significant initiative to substantially improve understanding of how people use iPads, for video consumption and other activities.
With Apple now reporting more than 55 million iPads sold to date and 3 million new iPads sold since 16 March, the importance of understanding how, when and where consumers use tablets is a top priority for the media industry.
For the study, ABC Research commissioned Nielsen to build a proprietary, opt-in Nielsen metered iPad panel to aggregate and measure video consumption, app usage and other activity over the course of a year. Approximately 200 respondents will be asked to download the meter, which will measure reach, duration, frequency and page views of their iPad apps and web usage. As a result, the study will offer the first view of actual behavior – as opposed to self-reported data – along with demographic trends and yearlong
insights.
Disney Media Networks executive VP of strategy and research Peter Seymour said, "We have been actively studying consumer tablet usage through our own data for two years, and believe Nielsen’s proprietary technology has the potential to deliver unprecedented additional details about consumer viewing patterns. This study will help us -- and ultimately the entire industry -- to better understand our consumers, the complete tablet environment and the role our content plays on this fast growing and popular device."
ABC senior VP, research Charles Kennedy will provide some preliminary results of the study at today’s Advertiser Research Foundation’s re:Think conference. Initial data will include information on when web and app usage is heaviest on the iPad, as well as an overview on "A Day in the Life" of a tablet user who interacts with the ABC Player app.
The on-going study will measure reach, duration, frequency and page views of respondents’ iPad apps and web usage using a propriety downloadable meter.
Nielsen executive VP Cheryl Idell said, "With our unique metering capabilities, this work with ABC represents a significant step forward in understanding how consumers are using and bringing the iPad into their day-to-day. The insight gleaned from this study, using these metering capabilities, is an example of how we meet our commitment to deliver cross-platform understanding to the industry and provide broader understanding of consumers."
