Audience Measurement Services of Canada’s Radio and Television Industries – Diary Methodology

The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) is an administrative tribunal that regulates and supervises broadcasting and telecommunications in Canada. The CRTC seeks to ensure that Canadians have access to a world-class communication system. This overarching objective is supported by three pillars: create, connect and protect. The CRTC supervises and regulates over 2,000 broadcasters, including TV, AM and FM radio and the companies that bring these services to Canadians. One of the tools used by the CRTC to assess the performance and health of the radio and television industries and of licensees is audience measurement data that provides insight on the tuning performance of Canada’s radio and television stations and services as well as the performance of specific programs broadcast on these stations and services. Examples of the types of data that are beneficial to the CRTC in its assessment of performance include viewing and tuning time and share of tuning to radio stations and viewing and television stations, demographic information relating to respondents, program-level viewing data for television, as well as information regarding the stations and their respective markets. Among the methods commonly used to collect audience measurement information are radio and television diary surveys. Such surveys are done by mail, and panel members receive a diary and are asked to record their radio or television tuning. The data is then compiled and used to produce audience estimates and reports. The CRTC does not have the internal capability to fulfill its needs for audience measurement data. As such, to fulfill its needs for comprehensive audience measurement data for both radio and television, the CRTC seeks to retain the services of an established independent contractor.