The Nigerian federal government has unveiled plans to leverage the Audience Measurement System, AMS, to strategically position the broadcasting industry as a catalyst for economic growth, job creation and innovation.
The Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris, disclosed this on Thursday when he received the interim report and findings of the Audience Measurement Task Team in Abuja.
He noted that AMS is geared toward harnessing the full revenue potentials in Nigeria's broadcast industry.
“This initiative aligns with the present administration's commitment to the promotion of innovation, job creation, and sustainable economic development. The data-driven decisions derived from the report will not only enhance the quality and relevance of our broadcasts but also unlock new avenues for investment, advertising, and content creation,” he said.
According to him, the country's current audience measurement system is over two decades and requires an upgrade.
Consequently, Minister said introducing an improved AMS becomes imperative because of the underperformance of the broadcast advertising market despite the nation's huge population.
“Despite having more than three times the eyeballs in South Africa, Nigeria's television advertising market revenue is low compared to that of South Africa, and Kenya; as we're third in the continent, he stated.
In his remarks, the Chairman of the Task Team and former Chief Executive Officer of the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria, Alhaji Garba Bello Kankarofi, said the initiative to implement a scientifically based audience measurement system in Nigeria started in 2020. The Team collated the opinions of all the stakeholders in the industry on how to make the system work.
Meanwhile, the Chairman of First Media and Entertainment Integrated (Nigeria), Rotimi Pedro, said they had engaged the services of an independent company to conduct the establishment survey to guarantee the credibility of the findings in line with global best practices.
