Tracking the media audience, wherever it may be

According to the IHT, French media consumers are about to enter a brave new world where broadcasters and advertisers can study and dissect their habits wherever they are.

"Early next year, Médiamétire, a French audience survey company, will roll out a new system using inaudible tones emitted from television broadcasts that can give a richer view of the popularity of shows by demographic group and format.

Ultimately, the company intends to track select volunteers beyond their living rooms and television sets to radio, personal computers, mobile phones and perhaps video game consoles that double as tiny television sets.

... The Médiamétrie system, called watermarking, embeds the inaudible tones in programmin. Those sounds are tracked by set-top monitors in the homes of volunteers who eventually will be asked to don special mobile devices, akin to pagers, that will track television and radio use outside the home.

Médiamétrie calls this landscape "plurimedia, meaning that can be accessed in many forms, anywhere."

emily | 5:12 PM | Technology |
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