What would happen if, with the State as the holder of a measurement system, one channel gained preponderance over another? Would measurement become yet another political weapon?
I read with some astonishment a recent proposal from a television channel executive who suggested that the State should assume part of the costs of audience measurement. While I understand that broadcasters are facing increasing financial burdens and ever fiercer, more fragmented competition, the proposal reflects a biased view of the State’s role in the economy — and, more specifically, in the regulation of media markets.
State subsidization of an audience measurement system will not address the structural problem of the technical obsolescence of these models. Worse still, it risks distorting the market, perpetuating inefficiencies, and setting a troubling precedent of public funding for services that are, by their very nature and definition, tools for the commercial management and planning of private entities.
“First and foremost, it is essential to remember that audience measurement — whether in television, radio, digital media, print, or outdoor advertising — is an operational necessity of the private sector. It is a commercial activity aimed at generating performance indicators, guiding advertising investments, and justifying strategic choices. It is the media equivalent of consumer panels that brands purchase to assess market share and evaluate commercial performance. Would it make any sense for Continente and Pingo Doce, or for Unilever and Procter & Gamble, to ask the Ministry of the Economy to subsidize their business data?
If the current television measurement system has certain flaws, distortions, or disproportionate costs, the solution should not necessarily involve the public purse bearing the burden for mistakes it did not make. Instead, the answer lies in reforming the models, integrating new technologies, and leveraging alternative and more modern data sources.
The market has solutions. First and foremost, distribution platforms collect extremely granular, real-time consumption data, with a level of detail far superior to that of traditional sampling methods. They can deliver second-by-second viewing metrics, identify patterns, segment by profile, and integrate analysis across both linear and on-demand content. The real challenge is not the absence of data — in fact, there is an abundance of it — but rather the creation of common, auditable standards capable of replacing the current model with greater transparency, lower costs, and increased relevance. And leading that transition requires involving all stakeholders who rely on this information.
Much has been said about the role of the State in the media — and rightly so, as a guarantor of democracy and pluralism. But what would happen if, with the State as the holder of a measurement system, one channel gained prominence over another? Would measurement become just another political weapon, ready to be wielded by whoever controls it? What would the State stand to gain from such a system? And what about the other media? Who would be responsible for measuring digital platforms? And radio? Would that, too, fall under the State’s remit?
The State has a role to play in establishing technical standards that protect competition and ensure systems are transparent for all market participants. However, it cannot and should not replace the private sector in what should be its technical and strategic responsibility. Television, like any other economic sector, must learn to reinvent itself. And this requires recognizing that the change we are experiencing does not mean preserving metrics simply to avoid altering the business model. On the contrary, the solution lies in the hands of the various market players and their capacity for innovation and joint cooperation.
In a time when data is abundant and technology offers solutions, it is up to the market to lead the changes and allow the State to act solely as the guarantor that these changes occur freely, fairly, and transparently for all stakeholders.
Article written by João Santos in ECO magazine.
