Yes, that seems to be the philosophy of media research providers in India. In a market that is otherwise offering choice to consumers like never before, media research providers have a very contrary view on providing choice. Let me explain.
If one has to buy any syndicated research what one gets is the total solution. This total solution includes the database along with the software that rides on that database. IRS data come with the IRS Analyser; the radio database (ILT) comes with the EARS software; NRS data come with Sesame; the TAM database comes with its own softwares Xpress, Xpert and Viewergraphics; and, finally, AMAP TV data also can be analysed through their own software.
Largely, the choice the consumer of media research gets is whether one wants to buy the product or not. There is not much scope for breaking up the total solution and buying components from across vendors. No choice in that area.
So, the mantra is that ‘if you want to use my data, you need to buy my software’. This approach sounded fantastic when providing the software was a sure value addition where people were tired of reading voluminous printed reports. However, now these softwares are hygiene and at times a limitation to the kind of analysis one wants to do.
Well! Each of the software providers may say that ‘you can always buy the raw data separately from us’ and do your own analysis. Yes, we can buy the raw data but will it be available at a reasonable cost -- after having paid for the data and software already? Yes, we can buy the raw data but are there any companies that provide the data online – at the same time as their normal data are released? Mostly, the raw data are provided long after. Yes, we can buy the raw data but is there any guarantee that the research provider will adhere to the defined data formats and codes and not change these according to their justified requirements? Yes, we can buy the raw data but is there any standardization in the measures, definitions, data formats and codes that will enable us to seamlessly build applications that cut across databases?
The answer to all these is a NO. All research providers do not provide access to raw data. The raw data if on sale are very expensive to buy. They are usually available after an appreciable lag beyond the release of the regular data. The database formats and codes change frequently. There are no standards of data exchange.
This problem we are facing is a lack of open systems. We have all seen the growth of industries that have open systems – computer hardware and software, telecom, Internet, etc. This is the era of plug-and-play but our media research providers are not ready to divide their systems.
The systems need to be divided into data as one unit and application software as the other unit. One should be able to buy data in specified standard formats from any research provider and the application software from another, if one so desires. On the one hand, this will reduce the barriers to entry in the media measurement space as companies with strength in either of the functions can create a niche and provide specialized service. On the other hand, it will drive investments into data analysis applications by media organizations, each trying to analyze the data in their own way. In the long run, it will bring value to media research users.
The task of bringing these open systems into existence lies with the user bodies that regulate the media research in the country. It should be on the agenda of the MRUC, NRSC, JIB, etc., to insist upon open systems so that it encourages specialization, competition and innovation and brings in true choice for the media research users.
(Published earlier in Viewpoint, Exchange4media)
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