Your house may be choosen to take part in what we call our Establishment Survey.
TAM Ireland contracts a number of companies to help us measure TV viewing audiences which leads to producing the Television Audience Measurement Ratings (TAM Ratings).
The Establishment Survey is the starting point and backbone of this measurement. It is carried out twice a year and we interview 8,250 households annually. This helps us understand the viewing landscape – how many TV sets there are. How channels are received, what other devices are used to view TV content along with the size and demographic make up of the TV households.
This is carried out on our behalf by a trained interviewer from Behaviour & Attitudes Ltd. who conducts this survey on behalf of Nielsen TV Audience Measurement who, in turn, are contracted by TAM Ireland to deliver the TAM Ratings. All Establishment Survey interviewers carry an identity card to show that s/he is a genuine market researcher.
Charity Donation
We make a charity donation on behalf of all households that participate in the survey. At the end of the survey you will be asked to select from a list of charities you would like us to donate to on your behalf. These charties are:
Irish Cancer Society
Concern
Barnardos
Peter McVerry Trust
DSPCA
We have donated in excess of €10,000 to these charities to-date on behalf of our survey participants.
Below you will find more information about the purpose of the survey along with answers to questions you may have about why your household was chosen and what happens to the data we collected from you.
Why was my home chosen?
Your address was randomly chosen from the GeoDirectory, a database of all addresses in Ireland.
Why is this survey conducted?
The purpose of the survey is to collect information about ownership of TV- related equipment and ways of receiving TV channels.
Nielsen conduct research for the television industry and provide viewing figures based on a representative panel of households. Some households who participate in this survey may be invited to join the TV Ratings panel at a later date. Participation in this survey and/or Nielsen’s panel is voluntary.
Why do surveys ask for personal details like my age?
You were asked questions about your age, occupation and other “demographic” information. All your responses will be pooled together with answers from other respondents. For reporting purposes, all data is anonymised. For example, when we have gathered information on the ages of people in the home, it allows us to show how many people in an age group e.g. 35-44 years have two TV sets.
Did you know?
Over 2.8 million people tune into TV every day in Ireland. Here are the top programmes that were viewed in 2017
| Counter |
Programme |
Channel |
(r) 000s |
| 1 |
Late Late Toy Show, The |
RTÉ One |
1,345.7 |
| 2 |
Sunday Game Live – Live Play – Dublin V Mayo, The |
RTÉ2 |
1,141.2 |
| 3 |
European Qualifiers: Play-Off For FIFA World Cup 2 |
RTÉ2 |
1,038.6 |
| 4 |
Sunday Game Live – Live Play – Galway V Waterford, |
RTÉ2 |
916.5 |
| 5 |
Sunday Game Live – Post Match – Dublin V Mayo, The |
RTÉ2 |
884.9 |
| 6 |
World Cup Qualifier 2018 – Live Play – Wales V Rep |
RTÉ2 |
866.1 |
| 7 |
RTE News: Nine O’clock |
RTÉ One |
845.7 |
| 8 |
RBS 6 Nations – Live Play – Ireland V France |
RTÉ2 |
826.4 |
| 9 |
RBS 6 Nations – Live Play – Wales V Ireland |
RTÉ2 |
818.3 |
| 10 |
RBS 6 Nations – Live Play – Ireland V England |
RTÉ2 |
753.2 |
Have you ever wondered how TV audiences are measured?
Nielsen measure audiences using a panel of representative households.
The data collected in this survey gives Nielsen an understanding of the TV viewing landscape in Ireland. This information ensures the panel is representative of viewers in the Republic of Ireland.
If you provided your consent to be contacted by Nielsen in the future, we may ask you to join the TV Ratings Panel. TV panel members provide a very important service to Television Broadcasters in Ireland. They are the voice of the television audience and help Broadcasters understand what programmes appeal to different kinds of people. It also helps them decide what programmes to show at what times.
How is panel data collected?
A meter is attached to each TV set in panel homes and a special remote control with a button assigned to each member in the household registers who is viewing.
Participating in the Nielsen panel
Participation in this survey is the first step towards joining the panel. If you agreed to be directly contacted by Nielsen in the future, we may invite you to join our panel when we need a home with your characteristics.
Panel Incentives
Nielsen provide ongoing incentives (e.g. One4All vouchers) to households who participate in the panel.
Data Confidentiality
Nielsen pledge never to disclose, sell or reveal any name, address, phone number or any information about any home on the panel.
In fact, when the metering equipment is installed, Nielsen panel homes are asked to sign an agreement to guarantee your confidentiality.