Buochs, Switzerland, December 2004: This section reflects the history and experience of the AGB Group,
from its origin until the AGB Nielsen Media Research joint venture was formed.
Since installing the world’s first national peoplemeter system in Italy in 1981, the Group has specialised in
the installation and management of peoplemeter systems globally, becoming the first fully integrated, multinational TAM system supplier.
1976 - 1987 |
From the first set-meter to the Italian peoplemeter panel |
1988 - 1991 |
The challenge of globalisation |
1992 - 1999 |
The right formula leads to international leadership |
2000 - 2003 |
Consolidating the AGB Group's position as the global leader of TAM services |
2004 - 2008 |
Combining technology, advanced research and results - AGB Nielsen Media Research is born. |
1976-1987: From the first set-meter to the Italian peoplemeter panel
In 1976, LCM Graman, an Italian market research company, installed a set-meter panel of 500 homes in Italy.
This set-meter, conceived and manufactured in Italy, recorded the viewing information of the household on an audiocassette tape.
The data was then merged with individual viewing data collected using diaries from a sample of 1500 people.
This was the first electronic television audience measurement in Italy and provided television-viewing data for five years, until 1981.
This was also the first TAM experience of the founder and Managing Director of LCM Graman, Dr. Alberto Colussi.
In 1981, LCM Graman joined forces with AGB Research Plc. The company was awarded an important contract from
the sole broadcaster at the time, the State television channel RAI, and installed a peoplemeter panel of 1,740 homes.
For the purposes of the installation and management of this new service, a new company, AGB Italia, was formed. Dr. Colussi,
together with AGB Research Plc., was a founder and shareholder of this new venture.
In 1984, with the advent of commercial channels in Italy, the industry came together to form Auditel,
a Joint Industry Committee (non-profit organisation) with the participation of state and private TV stations, advertisers and advertising agencies.
Soon after its formation, Auditel called a Tender for a national TAM service, and AGB Italia won against the bids
of AC Nielsen and Telecontrol (a Swiss based TAM technology provider).
In 1986 a panel of 2,420 homes was installed.
In the same year, AGB Italia and LCM Graman merged as AGB Italia, and Dr. Colussi was appointed the company’s Managing Director.
1988-1991: The challenge of globalisation
In 1988, Robert Maxwell acquired AGB Plc., through a public offer.
The experience and specific expertise gained in the management of an overnight peoplemeter service was
invaluable to AGB Italia and used in the exportation of TAM services to other countries.
Using its own human, technical and financial resources, AGB Italia began new TAM operations in Greece
(AGB Hellas, founded in 1988), Turkey (AGB Anadolu, founded in 1989) and Portugal (AGB Portugal, founded in 1990)
starting each operation with a 150-panel household in the respective capital city.
The implementation of the TAM service in these countries with smaller media markets and lower
advertising expenditures, created enormous challenges for AGB Italia, particularly in the area of data production,
which at that time, was based on a mainframe.
The installation and maintenance costs of a mainframe proved prohibitive in these markets.
Thus, AGB Italia took the opportunity to transfer the production software from mainframe to PC.
In 1988, the first version of Pollux, the PC-based production software, was developed resulting in further
expansion into new countries in an straight-forward, efficient and cost effective way.
1992-1999: The right formula leads to international leadership
In 1991, after the death of Mr. Maxwell, all his holdings (including AGB Research Plc.) were put into liquidation.
Dr. Colussi acquired AGB Italia in 1992 from the liquidators, Arthur Andersen.
The business was immediately re-focused exclusively on TAM development, thus disposing of all other company
activities such as customised research and the consumer panel for the purchase of mass market products.
At the same time, AGB Italia created a Corporate Support company, AGB Media Services, dedicated entirely to the support,
research and development of international TAM activities.
Established in Switzerland in October 1992, the Corporate Support Centre was conceived to serve
as the Group’s expertise repository for the support of local TAM operations, state-of-the-art hardware and
software and expert consulting services. This proved to be a turning point. With the formation of AGB Media Services, the AGB Group was able to expand at a rapid pace.
In 1992, the AGB Group established AGB Gulf (UAE). This was followed by AGB Hungary in 1993; AGB Venezuela in 1994;
AGB Middle East (Saudi Arabia) in 1995; AGB Polska in 1996; AGB Cyprus, AGB Data Research (Romania) and AGB Ukraine in
1997 and AGB STAT IPSOS (Lebanon) in 1998. The first quarter of 1999 brought the launch of Media Services AGB Slovenija (Slovenia),
bringing the number of TAM peoplemeter services within the Group to sixteen.
In 1999, the AGB Group also won the Joint Industry Committee tender in The Philippines (AGB Philippines).
A panel of 660 households was installed, of which at least half of the homes were installed with a GSM meter to adequately represent non-telephone homes.
In addition to the rapid expansion into new markets, a joint venture agreement was established with IBOPE Brazil Group,
which resulted in AGB gaining a stake of IBOPE AGB Mexico in 1995.
2000 - 2003: Consolidating AGB's position as the global provider of TAM services
OzTAM, the Australian TV Networks Association, awarded the AGB Group a prestigious 7-year contract to supply
TAM services in Australia. The newly formed ATR Australia was based upon a metropolitan panel of 3000 homes with data production commencing on 1 January 2001.
BARB, the British Audience Research Board, awarded the AGB Group two of its TAM contracts: metering of 5600 panel homes and data processing.
2001 also saw the joint venture between AGB Panamericana (51%) and Compañia Dominicana de Investigaciones (CDI)
to form CDI/AGB Dominicana, moving the Dominican Republic TAM market from diary to peoplemeter based information. Official TAM data was made available on 1 October 2001.
In January 2002, ATR Australia was awarded the tender by the regional television broadcasters to provide TAM services for
the regional free-to-air television markets of Queensland, Northern NSW, Southern NSW (including ACT), Victoria and Tasmania.
AGB Strategic Research, a joint venture between AGB and the Strategic Marketing and Media Research Institute (SMMRI) in
Serbia, was formed with the purpose of transforming the Serbian TAM market from diary to peoplemeter measurement.
Since December 2002, AGB Strategic Research has been providing TAM data for the Serbian population (excluding Kosovo).
Since February 2003, AGB Puls Croatia has been providing the Croatian TAM market with national overnight minute-by-minute data.
ATR Australia's new regional TAM system was launched in February 2003. The panel provides daily TAM data for five
regional markets and twenty three sub-markets from a panel of 2000 homes. Data collected by these meters determines
each network's share of the annual $600 million regional TV advertising spend.
In April 2003, ATR Australia was awarded the Pay-TV viewing ratings contract by OzTAM, making it the sole provider of TV ratings in Australia.
In January 2004, AGB Moldova began providing overnight data for the Moldavian capital, Kishinev, with the national panel available in June 2004.
2004 to 2008: Combining technology, advanced research and results - AGB Nielsen Media Research is born
On 5 August 2004, the AGB Group and Nielsen Media Research International announced their
intention to form a joint venture that would offer television ratings under the AGB Nielsen Media Research brand name.
The transaction merged all of the AGB Group companies with the wholly owned TV ratings service of Nielsen Media Research, excluding the US.
2008 to present: Combining technology, advanced research and results - AGB Nielsen Media Research is born
The Nielsen Company’s TAM and Audience Measurement companies currently manage more TAM panel
households using peoplemeter technology than any other international television audience ratings provider (see Global Coverage).
The Nielsen Company has accumulated a wealth of international experience and expertise in establishing new TAM systems and managing existing ones,
and retains this strength within the unique Corporate Support Centre based in Lugano, Switzerland.
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