Video Research International (Thailand), a Tokyo-based TV ratings company, is ready to conduct ratings here after 24 digital TV channels start their broadcasts.
"We're ready to join the bidding to provide TV ratings when broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers open new bids," said managing director Taro Tanaka.
The largest Japanese media and marketing research firm will offer a different method of TV ratings by using an agreement consensus to share cost as in Japan.
The current TV rater Nielsen Thailand uses a subscription scheme.
Mr Tanaka said the company cannot estimate how much of a budget should be used in a TV ratings survey because this depends on industry measurement requirements such as multiscreen or number of measured channels.
Initially the research specialist predicts a statistic-suited sample size of Thailand's TV rating measurement being 2,000 to 3,000 households.
It uses exact quality control from the panel setting, persuasion rate, data retrieval rate, and cooperation and continuity rate of the panel to ensure its TV ratings are accurate. The systematic sample will rotate every two years.
Video Research operates in Japan, the US and Thailand.
It started in Thailand in 2002 and now provides a consumers' single-source database (called T-Cube), media planning data (Chorus Thailand) and a TV commercial performance check (TVC Performance Index).
Video Research Thailand has competed here with Nielsen Thailand for a decade, but Nielsen won the majority of bids and dominated the local TV ratings market.
Mr Tanaka said his company would bring its parent's know-how from Japan for use here, particularly concerning the trend of multiscreen channels.
The definition of TV ratings measurement will change, he said. For example, outside-the-home or mobile device viewership will be added to the sample size due to the proliferation of mobile devices. Current measurements only include in-home or fixed-TV sets, often ignoring multiscreen behaviour.
Viewing habits have changed as well, shifting away from real-time viewing. TV technology also includes internet protocol broadcasting and video distribution.
In the digital TV era with more channels, the industry requires an extra measurement option such as time-shift, internet connections, multiscreen and data broadcasting, which the company has experience testing in Japan, a nation that already switched to digital broadcasting, Mr Tanaka said.
The future TV ratings requirement will depend on industry agreement and consensus among related parties.
Mr Tanaka said the company would apply to be a TV rater from the National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) soon.
Col Natee Sukonrat, chairman of the NBTC’s broadcasting committee, said the TV ratings regulation would take effect in August, with the goal of ensuring TV ratings are accurate. The NBTC has the authority to scrutinise ratings results.