Audience Measurement is being enhanced by data and artificial intelligence

Combining the strength of panel panel A sample from which information is collected over time. It can be questioned several times at regular intervals. This method is pertinent for studying changes in behaviour. The sample can be questioned continuously: - either: each individual in the panel is asked to fill in a daily questionnaire relating to the subject of the study. This is the case for the Radio panel. - or the information is recorded and returned regularly. This is the case for the Médiamat panel. This method is pertinent for understanding behavioural patterns and their changes if the panel lasts long enough. Find out more data data Digital data Find out more with the power power Indicator for evaluating formats in the context of a media plan. This is the prioritisation of formats according to their target audience. Find out more of big data big data Big data (or megadata) refers to the enormous quantities of data produced by all digital activities: private or professional, human or machine. Technological advances have made it possible to use this data for purposes other than its main purpose, regardless of how it is structured. Data sets with characteristics (e.g. volume, velocity, variety, variability, veracity) which, for a particular domain problem, at a given time, cannot be efficiently processed to derive value with existing technologies and techniques. The term Big Data is commonly used in a variety of ways, for example, as the name of the scalable technology used to deal with large datasets. Find out more

Measure hybridization relies on the construction of a statistical model that combines various complementary data sources. The audience measurement audience measurement Quantitative study of the frequency of use of media. Find out more thus created benefits from the scientific robustness of audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more panels combined with the richness of Big Data from set-top boxes, ad server server A system composed of computer hardware and software, that makes databases or programmes available to its users. Find out more logs, and analytics tools.

Big data Big data Big data (or megadata) refers to the enormous quantities of data produced by all digital activities: private or professional, human or machine. Technological advances have made it possible to use this data for purposes other than its main purpose, regardless of how it is structured. Data sets with characteristics (e.g. volume, velocity, variety, variability, veracity) which, for a particular domain problem, at a given time, cannot be efficiently processed to derive value with existing technologies and techniques. The term Big Data is commonly used in a variety of ways, for example, as the name of the scalable technology used to deal with large datasets. Find out more , on the other hand, records all digital digital A signal is said to be digital if it can be represented by a series of discrete values that can be coded in binary as either 0 or 1. It is the opposite of analogue signal. Digital broadcasting has become the primary mode for television broadcasting, whether by cable, satellite, or even terrestrial. Find out more consumption activities, providing detailed, real-time information on connections, frequency frequency In electronics, the frequency characterises a vibrating motion, such as an electromagnetic wave: it is the number of times the phenomenon is produced per second (the unit of measurement is the Hertz). In statistics, it is the number of times an event takes place, expressed as a percentage. In computing, it expresses the power of a computer's processors. For example: Pentium III 650 MHz Find out more , and the comprehensiveness required by a media landscape that is now constantly connected. 

Bringing these two complementary universes together requires specialized expertise. It involves balancing two opposing principles: representativeness and comprehensiveness, the science of sampling and the science of counting. 
It is this modeling work, carried out within Médiamétrie’s Data Data Digital data Find out more Science Department, that gives Hybrid Measurement Hybrid Measurement In statistics, this is an approach that involves mixing two data sources which differ both in nature and in level in order to create a third, richer or more detailed one. Find out more its full power power Indicator for evaluating formats in the context of a media plan. This is the prioritisation of formats according to their target audience. Find out more .

Artificial intelligence, a driver of innovation and a matter of trust

Today, we cannot discuss data without exploring the prospects and opportunities that artificial intelligence offers for the design and evolution of Hybrid Measurements. These technologies pave the way for the automation and transformation of certain tasks. AI tools can facilitate, in particular, the preparation of Questionnaires, the collection and analysis of data, and the presentation of results.

Advances in learning methods have also contributed to the evolution of methods for generating synthetic data data Digital data Find out more . These new methods, although they still raise many questions, could in the future serve to supplement or enrich survey survey A statistical method that aims to produce information about a population by interviewing part of the population (sample). This word is generally used to mean a survey conducted on a sample that have been interviewed using a questionnaire or else systematically observed. Find out more or panel panel A sample from which information is collected over time. It can be questioned several times at regular intervals. This method is pertinent for studying changes in behaviour. The sample can be questioned continuously: - either: each individual in the panel is asked to fill in a daily questionnaire relating to the subject of the study. This is the case for the Radio panel. - or the information is recorded and returned regularly. This is the case for the Médiamat panel. This method is pertinent for understanding behavioural patterns and their changes if the panel lasts long enough. Find out more data.

Certain hybrid approaches, which involve creating a virtual population, used as a foundation for reconciling different data sources, are based on this concept of synthetic data. This is notably the case for the Virtual ID model of the Origin Cross Media Cross Media Advertising and marketing practice that consists of using multiple media for a campaign. The objective of a cross media campaign is to play on the complementarity between the various media used. With this in mind, the aim of the Cross Media Advertising workshops set up by Médiamétrie is to work with the market to develop a new cross-media advertising measure (for TV and digital) to respond to rapidly changing uses and offers. Find out more advertising measurement project in the United Kingdom.

These technologies therefore open up a wide range of applications while requiring vigilance: transparency of models, traceability of data processing processing Means any operation or set of operations which is performed on personal data or on sets of personal data, whether or not by automated means, such as collection, recording, organisation, structuring, storage, adaptation or alteration, retrieval, consultation, use, disclosure by transmission, dissemination or otherwise making available, alignment or combination, restriction, erasure or destruction Find out more , and trust in algorithms remain essential to preserving the scientific legitimacy of measurements.

The challenge now is not merely to use AI, but to integrate it judiciously, within a governed, explainable approach that remains faithful to the principles of independence and rigor that underpin Audience Measurement Audience Measurement Quantitative study of the frequency of use of media. Find out more .

More comprehensive, agile, and efficient Hybrid Measurements

Hybrid Measurements are not merely a methodological feat: they redefine the way we think about Audience Measurement. 
They offer a truly comprehensive view, by reconciling Linear Linear This is when a live television program is watched exactly at the time it airs, in timeshifting (control over live TV) or private delay (personal recording). Find out more and Digital Digital A signal is said to be digital if it can be represented by a series of discrete values that can be coded in binary as either 0 or 1. It is the opposite of analogue signal. Digital broadcasting has become the primary mode for television broadcasting, whether by cable, satellite, or even terrestrial. Find out more usage, tracking tracking Activity which aims to measure the profile of a visitor to a website, their browsing path, interests, origin in the network, etc., in order to tailor content to them. Find out more content across screens, and reducing the time between consumption and the publication of results.

Above all, they enable greater granularity —precision—which is essential at a time when audiences are becoming increasingly fragmented: we can now measure formats, contexts, and audiences that traditional methods alone could not capture.

And finally, Hybrid Measurement Hybrid Measurement In statistics, this is an approach that involves mixing two data sources which differ both in nature and in level in order to create a third, richer or more detailed one. Find out more makes the process more efficient: by leveraging data data Digital data Find out more already collected by digital digital A signal is said to be digital if it can be represented by a series of discrete values that can be coded in binary as either 0 or 1. It is the opposite of analogue signal. Digital broadcasting has become the primary mode for television broadcasting, whether by cable, satellite, or even terrestrial. Find out more environments, the hybrid method optimizes costs; achieving the same level of accuracy with panels would require much more significant investments.
It’s a virtuous cycle: greater accuracy, greater responsiveness, and better control control All the operations implemented to verify the quality of information gathering: the work of the interviewers, the participation of the interviewees, progress against objectives, etc. Find out more over resources.

Médiamétrie, a pioneer in Convergence Convergence Coming together of domains or applications linked with technologies based on similar functions. Thus, the emergence and increased commonality of the digital signal allow for the convergence of the audio-visual, consumer electronics, computing, and telecommunications sectors. Find out more

In France, Médiamétrie is providing a concrete example of this transition with several hybrid systems already in operation.

• Internet Global, which combines panel panel A sample from which information is collected over time. It can be questioned several times at regular intervals. This method is pertinent for studying changes in behaviour. The sample can be questioned continuously: - either: each individual in the panel is asked to fill in a daily questionnaire relating to the subject of the study. This is the case for the Radio panel. - or the information is recorded and returned regularly. This is the case for the Médiamat panel. This method is pertinent for understanding behavioural patterns and their changes if the panel lasts long enough. Find out more data with site and app visit metrics from analytics tools, provides a unified view of the audience audience The set of listeners, viewers, or TV viewers in which each individual is equally weighted, regardless of their listening/viewing duration or frequency of contact. Find out more across the entire web;
• Watch Pub, The cross-video ad measurement solution, which combines impression volumes from data provided by ad servers with Linear Linear This is when a live television program is watched exactly at the time it airs, in timeshifting (control over live TV) or private delay (personal recording). Find out more TV audiences, enables the measurement of deduplicated campaign reach reach Reach is the term used to describe the reach achieved by a medium, publication, advertisement or campaign. It corresponds to the number of users reached and is therefore quantitative data. Reach plays a key role in measuring return on investment. It is used to determine whether or not the communication is effective. Whether for a website or a social network, reach corresponds to the proportion of the Internet user population or the audience reached by the site or network over a set period. Find out more ;
• or Segmented TV Advertising Segmented TV Advertising Segmented TV advertising consists in customising the advertisements in one given spot according to different audience segments (geographical, behavioural, socio-demographic, etc.) It notably became technically possible after the digitalisation of reception modes. Segmented television advertising was authorised in France by a decree dated 7 August 2020. Find out more , which integrates data from ad servers to refine TV media planning media planning All of the techniques for defining a media plan (or campaign plan), justifying the choice of the formats used within one or several media, and calculating the performances of a combination of formats. Find out more .

These innovations are based on a key concept: Hybridisation Hybridisation In statistics, this is an approach that involves mixing two data sources which differ both in nature and in level in order to create a third, richer or more detailed one. Find out more represents a methodological continuum. It does not replace but rather complements historical panel expertise by combining it with the power power Indicator for evaluating formats in the context of a media plan. This is the prioritisation of formats according to their target audience. Find out more of data, within a governed and controlled framework.

On the international stage, the same approach is taking hold in Italy, Austria, Switzerland, Spain, Canada, and Sweden, with Hybrid Measurements. Projects are underway in Germany and the United Kingdom. In the United States, Nielsen combines its TV Panel with big data big data Big data (or megadata) refers to the enormous quantities of data produced by all digital activities: private or professional, human or machine. Technological advances have made it possible to use this data for purposes other than its main purpose, regardless of how it is structured. Data sets with characteristics (e.g. volume, velocity, variety, variability, veracity) which, for a particular domain problem, at a given time, cannot be efficiently processed to derive value with existing technologies and techniques. The term Big Data is commonly used in a variety of ways, for example, as the name of the scalable technology used to deal with large datasets. Find out more on viewing habits in its measurements. 

Everywhere, the trend is the same: a more integrated, more fluid measurement system that is better aligned with actual viewing habits.

Scientific Rigor at the Heart of Innovation

This trend toward hybridisation hybridisation In statistics, this is an approach that involves mixing two data sources which differ both in nature and in level in order to create a third, richer or more detailed one. Find out more is based on a strong conviction: Data Data Digital data Find out more alone is not enough. 
The integration of massive data streams can only produce reliable measurements if it is guided by rigorous statistics statistics Statistics or Data Science is a field of mathematics that studies phenomena through data collection, processing, analysis, graphical representation and visualisation (Data Visualisation), as well as the interpretation of results. Find out more expertise. 
This is where the true added value of research institutes lies: in their ability to calibrate, perform adjustment adjustment A statistical processing that aims to correct structural discrepancies on one or more variables between the sample and the entire population studied (based on a known structure, such as a census or a framing study). This processing involves the calculation of a so-called adjustment coefficient for each individual surveyed. The coefficient is then combined with the extrapolation to arrive at its weight and thus align the weighted sample's structure to the structure of the population. Find out more , verify, and above all ensure the comparability and transparency of the results. Studies are always audited by third-party organizations.

The challenges are many:

• Ensuring the quality of the collected data,
• Avoid duplicates and biases associated with digital digital A signal is said to be digital if it can be represented by a series of discrete values that can be coded in binary as either 0 or 1. It is the opposite of analogue signal. Digital broadcasting has become the primary mode for television broadcasting, whether by cable, satellite, or even terrestrial. Find out more environments,
• Preserve neutrality and independence with respect to the entities being measured,
• Maintaining consistency across panels, platforms, and Cross Media Cross Media Advertising and marketing practice that consists of using multiple media for a campaign. The objective of a cross media campaign is to play on the complementarity between the various media used. With this in mind, the aim of the Cross Media Advertising workshops set up by Médiamétrie is to work with the market to develop a new cross-media advertising measure (for TV and digital) to respond to rapidly changing uses and offers. Find out more environments.

It is a discipline at the intersection of data science and measurement ethics ethics All the codes and rules of conduct that professionals give themselves, and which they strive to observe whilst they carry out their professional activities. Find out more , and its challenges are as much technological as they are educational. 
Here, technology does not replace the method—it enhances it.

A discipline in constant evolution

Hybridisation demonstrates the sector’s ability toevolve alongside the media behaviours it is designed to measure, to integrate new sources and new approaches without compromising the scientific rigor that underpins its legitimacy.

Hybrid Measurement Hybrid Measurement In statistics, this is an approach that involves mixing two data sources which differ both in nature and in level in order to create a third, richer or more detailed one. Find out more embodies the future of Audience Measurement Audience Measurement Quantitative study of the frequency of use of media. Find out more : an alliance between science and data, between human experience and algorithmic power power Indicator for evaluating formats in the context of a media plan. This is the prioritisation of formats according to their target audience. Find out more . 
And in this evolution, measurement remains, more than ever, an essential benchmark—rigorous, independent, and constantly evolving alongside the practices of its time.

Published by: Médiamétrie Communications Team

Written by: Laure Osmanian Molinero