FoME Symposium 2014: Audience research in media
development
Making media markets work:
Emerging experience in Nepal
7th November 2014
Gavin Anderson
Development consultant
GAnderson@springfieldcentre.com
Audience research
Global level
research
Purpose
Key outcomes
 Macro level policy
 ?
 Understanding media
National level
habits at a national level
research - all media
(ongoing)
 Understanding a media
Media house level
house’s audience.
research (ongoing)
Development/donor
level research
(occasional)
 Influencing advertising and
communication revenue flows: both
+ve and –ve
 Potentially levelling the competitive
playing field (transparency)
 Influencing investment in media and
content.
 Reducing corruption
 Influencing media content and
content mix
 Influencing internal investment in
media and content
 Quality control within
media houses
 Product development
within media houses
 Donor/ development policy  Influencing donor communication and
 Intervention strategy
media development strategies,
development
 Influencing donor investment.
 Impact assessment
Samarth- NMDP (Nepal market Development
Project)
•
•
•
5 year DFID funded Programme
Rural income-poverty reduction programme
Primarily focused on agricultural and rural small business
development
Why media development?
Nepal
Population : 31 million
Non Urban population: 82.7%
Literacy: 60.3%
HDI ranking: 145/187
A large and diverse media industry in Nepal
~ 370 radio stations
~28 TV stations
~ 400+ daily publications
~2000+ weekly publications
Usage of media / information channels: Rural
Preferred media channel for agricultural information
100%
80%
60%
3rd preference
40%
2nd preference
20%
0%
1st preference
Radio: A sector in crisis
•
•
•
•
•
4 in 10 radio stations reported reduced profitability over the past 5
years
More than half of stations had reduced staff numbers in the past 5
years with an average reduction of 14 staff
More than half of all radio stations believe radio is not a profitable
sector to be in.
More than two thirds of stations believe that their profitability will
decrease in the next 5 years
43% of commercial radio stations believe that it is likely or possible
that they will close down in the next 5 years.
Impacting on quality of radio content
Journalism in existing agricultural / business radio programmes
45%
41%
40%
40%
34%
35%
34%
29%
30%
25%
25%
23%
19%
20%
19%
16%
15%
15%
10%
8%
5%
0%
Field based
Issue based
Multiply and
appropriately
sourced
Commercial
Balanced
Investigative with
follow up
Community
Total
Advertising Expenditure in Nepal: small
for the size of the economy
Million
US$
500
400
300
200
100
0
Nepal
Nepal
Sri Lanka
Lanka
Sri
Uganda
Uganda
Ad expenditure
(2010-11)
$43.4 million
$416.8 million
$178.3 million
Population
31.0 million
21.2 million
35.6million
GNI per capita
$ 1,137
$ 5,170
$1,168
GDP- economy
$ 18.96 billion
$ 59.42 billion
$ 20.03billion
Ad Ex / GDP
0.23%
0.70%
0.89%
Advertising expenditure comparison
Proportion of income
70%
58.8%
60%
50%
47.0%
40%
30%
Nepal
22.7%
20%
20.0%
Uganda
16.9%
17.0%
16.0%
10%
1.6%
0%
Print
TV
Radio
Other
Millions
Actual income to radio
$120
$100
$80
$60
$40
$20
$0
Nepal
Uganda
Why is audience research important?
?
Media
- How can I
prove that I am
better than the
rest?
A large and diverse media
industry in Nepal
~ 370 radio stations
~28 TV stations
~ 400+ daily publications
~2000+ weekly publications
Emerging media – internet,
mobile phone channels etc.
?
Advertisers/
communicators
- Which media
should I use to
reach...?
uncertainty
Lower advertising spend generally
Lower advertising spend on local broadcasters in particular
Inability for media to compete transparently
Increased corruption in advertising markets
The winners and losers of this lack of
transparency
Mainly losers
But some winners
• The media overall (most media) • National broadcasters
• Non-urban media (local media)
• Network broadcasters
• Smaller media houses
• National print media (high
• Broadcast media
• Advertisers / communicators
circulation)
• Corrupt marketing staff
/agencies
• Direct marketing
Samarth NMDP: rationale
Income for the rural poor
Need for information
Need for advocacy platforms
•
Lack of and poor quality of existing
info channels
Media Development
- Primary focus: local radio
•
•
•
Audience research
•
Importance of radio to rural poor
Demand for local information
Need for mass information
Need to increase revenue to local
radio to increase potential for
improved programming
Paul Haupt – Feasibility study into
restarting audience research in Nepal