DUBAI // The long-running push to bring modern audience measurement tools to the Gulf's television market took a step forward today.
Although the introduction of people meters has been discussed for more than a decade, representatives from advertisers, broadcasters, media buyers and regulators all agreed that the tool - which measures the number of viewers through a set-top box - was necessary and, hopefully, imminent.
"The project for people metering is under discussion right now with the National Media Council," said Mohamed al Ghanim, the director general of the Telecommunications Regulatory Authority.
Mr Ghanim was speaking at a panel as part of a day-long workshop organised by Dubai Media City and The Nielsen Company to discuss media measurement in the region.
Television viewership is presently measured by computer-assisted telephone interviews that require viewers to recall what they watched the previous day. Several research companies are used, and the results are often greeted with scepticism by broadcasters and advertisers.
Any movement towards people meters would be welcome news to Louis Hakim, the vice president of Royal Philips Electronics and chief executive of Philips Middle East, who was representing the Advertisers Business Group on the panel. The ABG has been leading its own effort to bring the tool to the region.
"We have over the last 30-plus years in this part of the world been sort of shooting in the dark," he said. "What is needed, and what we are struggling currently to achieve, is a proper format where transparency, accountability and reliability prevail."
Sharif Badreddin, the commercial director of MBC, agreed in principle. "We have also been shooting in the dark," he said, complaining that although MBC does well in the current ratings system, "there is a lot of scepticism surrounding that".
But he reminded the audience that private commercial television in the region was less than 20 years old.
"The market is still shaping itself," Mr Badreddin said, noting that according to the most recent research, there were nearly 400 television stations in the region. "It has not yet reached maturity levels."
In particular, he complained about the rate of advertising spending in the region. "Although our GDP levels rank among the league one and league two in the world, our per capita spend on advertising is among the lower leagues."
Ziad Skaff, the group director of Integral, who was representing the media buyers on the panel, welcomed people meters but cautioned against drastic action, pointing out that media buyers had been talking about bringing people meters to the region for 12 years.
"Are we late? We can't really judge whether we are slow or not," he said. "We are late compared to other markets, but we are still also young in the region. We need to evolve. We are moving there. Personally, I am happy to see that we finally have something agreed on."
But many others at the workshop believed the media industry in the region, and the UAE in particular, had finally matured to a level that made an overhaul in its measurement tools necessary. Spending on advertising in the UAE last year totalled US$1.3 billion (Dh4.7bn), according to the Pan Arab Research Centre.
"The current practices in the region, in general, is the old traditional style," said Mohamed Almulla, the chief executive of Dubai Media City, at a discussion on Monday. "I think we have been lagging behind in media tools."
For its part, Nielsen was eager to expand on its ad hoc market research business in the region to include syndicated media measurement as well.
"We think you are at a crossroads," said Lorraine Hadfield, the managing director for international audience measurement at Nielsen Research International. "And we think this is the time to seize the day."
khagey@thenational.ae
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE
Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha
Starring: Ajay Devgn, Tabu, Shantanu Maheshwari, Jimmy Shergill, Saiee Manjrekar
Director: Neeraj Pandey
Rating: 2.5/5
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
How to avoid crypto fraud
- Use unique usernames and passwords while enabling multi-factor authentication.
- Use an offline private key, a physical device that requires manual activation, whenever you access your wallet.
- Avoid suspicious social media ads promoting fraudulent schemes.
- Only invest in crypto projects that you fully understand.
- Critically assess whether a project’s promises or returns seem too good to be true.
- Only use reputable platforms that have a track record of strong regulatory compliance.
- Store funds in hardware wallets as opposed to online exchanges.
Vidaamuyarchi
Director: Magizh Thirumeni
Stars: Ajith Kumar, Arjun Sarja, Trisha Krishnan, Regina Cassandra
Rating: 4/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The biog
Profession: Senior sports presenter and producer
Marital status: Single
Favourite book: Al Nabi by Jibran Khalil Jibran
Favourite food: Italian and Lebanese food
Favourite football player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Languages: Arabic, French, English, Portuguese and some Spanish
Website: www.liliane-tannoury.com
How to tell if your child is being bullied at school
Sudden change in behaviour or displays higher levels of stress or anxiety
Shows signs of depression or isolation
Ability to sleep well diminishes
Academic performance begins to deteriorate
Changes in eating habits
Struggles to concentrate
Refuses to go to school
Behaviour changes and is aggressive towards siblings
Begins to use language they do not normally use
If you go
Flying
Despite the extreme distance, flying to Fairbanks is relatively simple, requiring just one transfer in Seattle, which can be reached directly from Dubai with Emirates for Dh6,800 return.
Touring
Gondwana Ecotours’ seven-day Polar Bear Adventure starts in Fairbanks in central Alaska before visiting Kaktovik and Utqiarvik on the North Slope. Polar bear viewing is highly likely in Kaktovik, with up to five two-hour boat tours included. Prices start from Dh11,500 per person, with all local flights, meals and accommodation included; gondwanaecotours.com
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UAE Rugby finals day
Games being played at The Sevens, Dubai
2pm, UAE Conference final
Dubai Tigers v Al Ain Amblers
4pm, UAE Premiership final
Abu Dhabi Harlequins v Jebel Ali Dragons
The lowdown
Bohemian Rhapsody
Director: Bryan Singer
Starring: Rami Malek, Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: Direct injection 4-cylinder 1.4-litre
Power: 150hp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: From Dh139,000
On sale: Now
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI