Lagos homes to get 36GB monthly data as FG begins TV audience measurement

The Federal Government has launched the initial phase of a national Audience Measurement System (AMS) in Lagos, offering selected households monthly data allowances of 36GB as an incentive for participating in the new television audience measurement program. The program, led by the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) under the FreeTV brand, replaces Nigeria's conventional diary-based television audience measurement system with Peoplemeter technology.

This technology automatically monitors viewing patterns in participating households, transmitting the data daily to a central data center.

Under the scheme, homes will receive Peoplemeter devices and data-enabled routers to accurately track television viewing and relay the information to a central database. Speaking at a press conference in Lagos, Mohammed Idris, the Minister of Information and National Orientation, highlighted that the modernization of broadcasting through digital switchover initiatives, such as this program, enables Nigeria to establish a robust and dependable system for comprehending audience preferences.

Patrick Gomes, the Chief Operating Officer of First Media and Entertainment Integrated Limited (FMEIL) GARB, the technical partner handling the implementation, informed that participating households will initially receive 36GB of data every month. This monthly incentive, currently valued at approximately N11,000, aims to cover the participants' browsing requirements.

Gomes further revealed that the program will introduce a quarterly incentive based on the consistent compliance of participating households with the system's requirements.

Households with higher levels of compliance will be eligible for greater quarterly incentives, while those with lower compliance will receive a smaller share of the incentive. The Lagos rollout follows a technical testing phase and a proof of concept pilot conducted in select homes. The results of the pilot were shared with stakeholders in Abuja during the second quarter of 2024.

The households being invited to join the program are being selected from a nationwide Establishment Survey completed in the first half of 2023. This survey encompassed 60,000 households across Nigeria's 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, including 7,000 households in Lagos. NBC Director General, Charles Ebuebu, described the rollout as a significant advancement for Nigeria's broadcasting sector, stating that the system will provide precise, passive tracking of audience consumption patterns and address long-standing issues regarding transparency in the advertising and broadcasting industries.