2012 TAMS update

The TAMS universe is made up of all households, both rural and urban, with mains electricity and at least one working TV set. TAMS measures all platforms both analogue and digital and both terrestrial and satellite. Personal viewing data is captured by the TAMS meter for all household members aged four and older, and includes all guests in the home. Domestic workers are also included in the TAMS universe but are treated as separate households.

Like all TAMS panels worldwide, SAARF TAMS uses an establishment survey to estimate the size of the television universe, which will set the parameters of the sample. In South Africa TAMS uses the All Media and Products Survey (AMPS) for this purpose and the TAMS universe is therefore adjusted every six months with each new AMPS release (normally in January and August each year).

 An establishment survey is the only way to correctly reflect the relative sizes of all the different TV platforms at a given moment in time and to measure TV accurately, SAARF also needs to know amongst other things, how many TVs, and M-Net and DStv decoders, etc. people have.  This information is sourced from AMPS.

 While people are continuously buying new TV equipment, it is sufficient to update the TAMS universe only once every six months after new AMPS data is released as stated above.  These updates routinely take place.

Updating the universe regularly ensures that the TAMS data remains up-to-date with changes happening in the TV arena, changes which are brought about by the constant addition of new households to the TV-viewing population, new pay-TV providers and the inexorable move to Pay TV.

The SAARF TAMS household universe increased from 10 650 000 to 10 689 000, excluding 356 000 PVR households in the August 2011 TAMS universe update.

On the 19^th of December 2011, the TAMS household universe was updated to include PVR households, resulting in 11 046 000 households. Time Shifted viewing data was also released for the first time in December 2011.

 Time Shifted Viewing data was released in 3 pre-created building blocks/codes by software houses. These three blocks are:

1. LIVE

2. LIVE+ VOSDAL (Viewing On Same Day As Live)

3. Consolidated 7 day viewing.

 In addition, all the other individual bits of Time Shifted Viewing data have been released to enable the end-user to build their own “blocks”/codes i.e. if an end user wanted to look at LIVE + 2 DAYS of Time Shifted or just VOSDAL they would be able to do it (please consult your software house).This way the end-user is not just restricted to the pre-defined three codes.

The 2011A TAMS universe has increased from 11 046 000 to 11 197 000 households (with PVR homes included).

 The tables below show the following:

• AMPS 2010B universe (excluding PVR households)
• AMPS 2010B (including PVR households)
• The universe that will be implemented in January 2012 (AMPS 2011A)
• The differences between AMPS 2010B (including PVR households) and AMPS 2011A