Barb awards new contract 24 June 2015 Barb awards joint Establishment Survey and Panel Recruitment contract Barb, the TV industry’s audience measurement body, today announces that Ipsos Connect has won its new combined Establishment Survey and Panel Recruitment contract. Barb data are the backbone of the £7 billion UK TV industry (The Communications Market, Ofcom 2014) UK and the Establishment Survey provides the essential viewer demographic, device and platform data that inform the industry on the development of the broadcast landscape. The Establishment Survey provides the dataset that determines the profile of the UK Barb panel, but this appointment means that interviewers for the Establishment Survey will be also responsible for recruiting homes onto the panel itself. The award follows a four-month tender process and is effective from January 2016 for an initial three years. It replaces two previous contracts and follows a successful pilot study by Barb in 2014. The major benefits of combining the two studies are speed and efficiency. The pilot study demonstrated a combined contract could lead to a reduction of up to 90 days in the time between a home being contacted for the Establishment Survey and, if successfully recruited, becoming an active participant in the Barb panel. It also confirmed that the new approach is effective at delivering robust recruitment rates, installation rates and panel balance. Barb commissioned Ipsos-MORI to conduct the pilot study. The Establishment Survey data are increasingly critical to understanding the changes in UK population and device ownership. Examples of how the data are used can be found in Barb’s recent publication, The Viewing Report. The two other major contracts that make up the Barb service are unaffected and run until the end of 2018.These are for: ‣ survey design and methodology by RSMB ‣ panel management, meter installation, data collection and data production by Kantar Media Simon Bolus, Research Director at Barb said: “Accurate measurement is at the heart of Barb’s purpose. As the broadcast industry evolves, and new datasets are created, we need to ensure that we maintain the high standard of the core panel and the processes behind it. We have made great progress in understanding the changing landscape and an effective Establishment Survey is central to this. Our partnership with Ipsos Connect will ensure that is delivered.” Liz Landy, CEO of Ipsos Connect, said: “We are delighted to have been asked to deliver this new contract. It represents a truly original way of working.” To read more about Barb’s strategy, see What’s next for Barb? For further information please contact Charlotte Martin on Charlotte.Martin@barb.co.uk or 020 7024 8115.