Measuring Audience
A cross-cutting issue found when collecting information for the project is that no database exists showing total audience figures across the entire market. Nor is there public information giving a general idea of the distribution of the national audience. This information has to be obtained from private companies such as Kantur Ibope Media (television), CPI (radio), SEPP (print media) and IAB (Internet), who dominate the survey industry. Because these companies only register client information, media which do not pay for the service do not appear in the data and are invisible.
This is extremely serious given the importance of audience ratings in the choices advertisers make when investing their advertising budgets to reach the largest number of people. Accordingly, media that does not form part of the reporting, generally local and regional, remain apart and are forced to seek other sources of finance.
How is the Audience Measured?
Television: Since 1996, Ibope Time Perú (today Kantar Ibope Media) has been the only specialized company in television audience surveying in Peru. Its system is based on the People Meters micro-computers that record minute by minute television viewing in 780 randomly selected homes: 400 in Lima and 300 in the provinces of Trujillo, Piura, Chiclayo, Cusco, Arequipa and Huancayo. The information obtained is made available to its clients, primarily media, as well as publicity agents and advertisers.
Radio: Since 2000, Compañía Peruana de Estudios de Mercados y Opinión Pública S.A.C. (CPI) has undertaken studies of AM/FM radio stations in Lima (four times per year) and nationally (in the urban areas of 24 departments, twice per year). It also undertakes research to discover the five most popular stations in 14 cities around the country and an annual study to determine the coverage and signal quality of television and radio channels. The results are freely available on its website (cpi.pe)
Print media: There are different information sources for print media. They are incomplete or outdated. The Association of Peruvian Journalism Companies (SEPP) prepares monthly studies of circulation (total number of copies distributed and sold) and reading habits (the number of people reading a particular print publication) in Lima and the provinces. This only measures SEPP-member publications and so is not comprehensive. The most recent reports are from 2014.
CPI also undertakes newspaper readership studies in metropolitan Lima. It also does so in 14 regional cities, to determine the five most read newspapers in each locality. The most recent study for Lima is 2013, and for 2015 in the case of the provinces. They are freely available on the SEPP and CPI websites.
Internet: IAB Perú measures local web page visits. It is the national subsidiary of the Interactive Advertising Bureau, the principal international entity representing the online advertising industry, with a presence in 40 countries The “Statistics” section has been temporarily eliminated from the new design of its website, which hosts the monthly reports of the most visited networks and websites. It has undertaken to republish this information shortly.
GfK, a market research company, offers an audience survey system that combines the results obtained in all media (television, print press, radio, exterior, online and mobile) to find out how the consumers interact with the content which interests them, through which media they do so and what drives their behavior.