Thursday 30 September 1999
By eBroadcast Staff and agencies.

After an exhaustive tender process, AGB Australia Pty Ltd has been awarded a seven-year contract to measure all television audiences in the five major Australian metropolitan markets, commencing on January 1, 2001.

The contract was awarded by OzTAM, a company formed initially by the three commercial television networks.

Welcoming the announcement, Seven Network's representative on the industry committee, Mr Ric Burns, said: "We believe that the new system will provide a first-class service for all subscribers, fully capable of coping with audience measurement in the new digital environment. Outstanding analytical software will be available to subscribers."

Mr Gerry Thorley, Network Ten's representative on the committee said: "The new system will measure both free-to-air and pay audiences and will initially be based on a total of 3,000 homes, a significant increase on the present sample. This new sample could be further increased during the life of the contract if required."