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UNITAM

UNITAM is a new audience measurement system developed and produced by AGB Nielsen Media Research’s Media Instruments Division. It is based on the CTS technology and comprises of an integrated TAM panel system, including peoplemeters, a full featured polling system and multi-purpose centralised processing software.

UNITAM departs significantly from all previous TAM technologies in many ways. It has been developed as a response to the increasing operational cost and complexity of TAM panels in the digital era. Most importantly, it is a future-proof system that protects the panel investment against changes in the TAM environment and the fuzzy technology horizon that characterises the digital revolution.

UNITAM Key Features

UNITAM's exclusive pattern correlation TAM technology allows moving the "complexity" out of the field and into a centralised point from which it can be easily managed.

A sophisticated software system manages the measuring of all kinds of exposure to TV content by comparing sets of signature streams generated by identical devices in different locations. Thanks to its sophisticated cutting-edge technology, UNITAM peoplemeters became a simple "electronic ear" that records a trace of all the content watched on a TV set (or any other type of display device, e.g. a computer) to which it is connected. In fact, because all that is needed is a sample of the audio signal associated with the measured content, connecting a UNITAM meter to the TV set and/or its peripheral devices is as simple as plugging an A/V or SCART cable and declaring the type of device in a straight-forward process.

Therefore, complexity in the field is virtually eliminated, while a centralised sophisticated pattern-correlation system solves the problem of content identification, in any kind of platform and without requiring any cooperation from third parties. Furthermore, the generality of UNITAM's techniques and methods guarantee its essential future-proof characteristic; the same panel system will still be operative in virtually any possible future scenario, just as long as TV broadcasts will continue to carry one or more associated audio channels.

Besides solving the traditional problem of content identification in real-time TV broadcasts, UNITAM's proven core technology (CTS) provides also TAM services like "Broadcast Auditing" or "Film Tracking" that can be immediately added to the operator's product line.

UNITAM Peoplemeters

UNITAM peoplemeters are easy to install hardware that just "listen" to the audio coming from the TV set and the different devices connected to it. They include six audio ports to which the audio outputs of those devices are connected through bypass cables that sample the audio signals without disturbing them in any way. The setup of a UNITAM meter involves little more than connecting these cables and declaring which device is connected to each port. No settings of any additional parameters are required in most cases.

Polling System

UNITAM meters use 1-800 lines to call base and download the viewing data. This approach offers many advantages over the traditional "called meter" paradigm. A significant portion of the panel turnover for some operators is due to "less than perfect" ring suppression technologies; mostly caused by the variety of phone line installations usually found in most panels. Ring suppression also poses some challenges for the installer who must find the point of entry of the household's phone line to connect the communication device.

UNITAM's polling system is a two-tier solution. A "poll server" application at the front end receives the calls and hands the data to a back-end "poll master". This architecture allows for the deployment of multiple polling servers, offering the following advantages:

Content Tracking System

UNITAM provides content identification through its proprietary Content Tracking System (CTS). CTS developed as a response to challenges posed to the TAM industry by digital media distribution and broadcasting. It was created as a solution to measure digital platforms in the UK panel (CTS produces more than 20% of BARB's panel viewing).

CTS is at the core of UNITAM, in an upgraded version that covers all existing platforms (including the analogue terrestrial realm). UNITAM’s flexible and versatile pattern correlation engine is the result of continuous development efforts in a concept-expanding approach, leveraging on the UK experience.

What a TAM operator obtains by implementing UNITAM: