What each currency measures, who pays for it, how the samples are built, and how to read a number in a media schedule without over-trusting it.
The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) runs large national surveys, including the Establishment Survey of 25,000 respondents, as the foundation for radio and TV audience measurement in South Africa. These audience estimates help broadcasters and advertisers decide where to invest. The BRC’s RAMS (Radio Audience Measurement Survey) and TAMS (Television Audience Measurement Survey) currencies are built on cross-media Establishment Survey inputs and designed as industry trading tools for measuring audiences. However, their methodology and current transition phase means these numbers should be read critically.
The BRC is the industry body responsible for radio and television audience measurement in South Africa, including the RAMS and TAMS audience data used for media buying and selling. [1] The terms "currency" and "trading currency" in this context refer to the official audience estimates that broadcasters and advertisers rely on when purchasing and selling airtime in accordance with industry standards. RAMS and TAMS are designed to provide robust enough data for all major broadcasters and advertising agencies to use in their media planning.
While the BRC oversees the collection and validation of these revenue-relevant numbers, the actual data points are built on the foundation of a much larger regular study: [1] the Establishment Survey (ES). This national study acts as the sampling frame and source of demographic details onto which the RAMS and TAMS numbers are mapped to indicate how audiences are made up by things like age, gender, region, education, household income, and cultural groups.
[Audience measurement is a feasibility question of big samples being necessary – see what that means in practice] [14] [16]
Within the BRC and PRC, technical committees advise that data quality standards such RAMS must meet thresholds of sample size, stability and representativeness to ensure its effective functioning as a trading standard and currency. Essentially, each wave and cumulative sample of RAMS or TAMS data constitutes what is effectively a whole new sample that should be checked for sufficient coverage, internal reliability, and consistency with other industry data sources.
The Establishment Survey (ES) serves as the critical building block for all audience measurement in
South Africa. Conducted in partnership by the Broadcasters Research Council (BRC) and the Publisher Research Council (PRC), the ES provides a comprehensive blueprint of South Africa’s population and media landscape. Comprising an annual sample of 25,000 respondents, the ES is split into two six-monthly waves of 12,500, forming the demographic foundations and cross-media sampling framework for both radio (RAMS) and television (TAMS) currencies. [2] [3] [4] [5]
This national sample is targeted to reflect the total civilian population and special groups like farm workers, and typically takes 2 to 5 hours to complete in demo & psychographics and media consumption. While not relying on ‘ethical screening’ [6], the ES survey does explicitly commit to respondent confidentiality, under no circumstances returning any identifying details to respondents or creating any locator directory. [7] Households perform a small physical task (like writing their name on a blank postcard) in order to validate their participation in generating anonymised data about the country.
Historically, the ES has been conducted in partnership by industry bodies. The BRC states an ongoing commitment to a credible and scientifically robust national consumer study. [8] However, after three years of producing the ES, the PRC, BRC and survey research firm Kantar TNS announced a mutual agreement to cease production at the end of December 2019, delivering the final half-year 2019 results to the industry in March 2020. [9] [11] [12] [14] [21]
[Audiences are described with hyperlinked detail terms – unless we make it a note]
In the absence of an active Establishment Survey, radio and television audience estimates have continued to be published – including via the BRC TAMS Audit on 11 April 2018 [10] – and the BRC released a questionnaire for the 2017 TV Establishment Survey. [13] Furthermore, the completed ES was reported to align with the TAMS Total TV day
Under the new ES 2025 overview, exactly who contributes to the survey now is less clear, although presumably a similar set of industry demographics are sampled. The funding arrangements for the current ES are not fully clear.
In an overview of ES methodology, it is described as being run by the BRC (representing radio and television) together with the PRC (representing magazines, newspapers and websites), indicating a cross-media foundation for audience currencies. [15] After a hiatus, in Q1 2025, the BRC appointed Ask Afrika to deliver a large-scale, ongoing Establishment Survey, aimed at uncovering the current state of video consumption in South Africa, with the first release of ES data planned for Q1 2026. [15] [17] [18] [19] [20] On setting the next strategic direction, there appears to be growing acceptance in the industry that the ES should be uniting all video measurement, including that consumed outside the pay-television and terrestrial broadcasting spaces.
As positive as the one ES framework may be to overhaul the cross-media video numbers, the radio broadcast business has always needed more up-to-date regular metrics.
The BRC’s Radio Audience Measurement Survey (RAMS) is undergoing a major transition, with a new methodology and currency data model replacing the old system. The previous RAMS AMPLIFY was a next-day (CATI) day-after-recall model offering reach and frequency data, but it is now being replaced by a new system.
What does this mean for radio broadcasters and agencies?
Under the new design, BRC appointed GfK Media Measurement in 2025, with system design beginning in July 2025 and initial insights expected in Q1 2026. GfK’s RAMS system uses a hybrid recruitment approach, combining face-to-face recruitment for paper diaries with online research panels for electronic diaries, and includes a rolling data collection schedule with quarterly public releases of audience insights. The new RAMS survey is being designed as South Africa’s radio trading currency, targeting a national annual sample of 36,000 respondents. By August 2026, the first three waves had reached a cumulative sample of 29,380 respondents, surpassing an interim target of 27,000 and representing more than 75% of the planned annual sample, indicating the survey is on track. [22]
In earlier versions of RAMS AMPLIFY, the methodology specified that random digit dial CATI interviews are conducted with South Africans aged 15+ who own cellphones, totalling about 3,000 interviews per month. Using the RAMS AMPLIFY reach and frequency model, broadcasters and agencies can make informed decisions about radio audience sizes, reach, frequency, and more.
Under the BRC’s new TV and Video audience measurement framework, the ES plays a critical role in establishing the media landscape context in which all video consumption estimates are set.
In addition to RAMS AMPLIFY, the BRC has been working on a total video measurement initiative aimed at unveiling the current state of video consumption across devices.
[Audience researchers should unpack balanced pairings though research is not done – can the writer figure what audience numbers are readily comparable? Are TV viewers apprehended with the same curiosity or granularity as radio listeners? Should broadcasters continue to work with audience researchers or audience researchers continue to spend too much (still?) time on audience research per se. Or is it a matter of all relevant stakeholders needing a seat around the table?]
When reading RAMS or TAMS numbers, it is essential to understand their fundamental design and the methodological boundaries that define them.
Firstly, both RAMS and TAMS rely on a large national sample as their underlying population estimates. For RAMS, the design targets a national annual sample of 36,000 respondents, and while this sample is still being built up, by August 2026, 29,380 respondents had been reached, representing more than 75% of the planned annual sample. [23] However, it’s important to note that each wave of RAMS or TAMS constitutes a new sample that needs to be validated for representativeness and reliability. [30]
Secondly, the actual measurement of audiences is done through a combination of surveys, diaries, and electronic measurement. For RAMS, the metric of radio listenership is measured through a hybrid approach of face-to-face recruited diary keepers and online research panelists. The sampling method relies strongly on random digit dialing to recruit a representative sample of the 15+ year old mobile phone owning population. For TAMS, audience is measured through peoplemeter technology installed in panelists’ homes, electronic peoplemeters, and some diary panelists. [6] [33]
Thirdly, one of the most critical elements of audience measurement is the base data against which audiences are weighted and benchmarked. For both RAMS and TAMS, this base data comes from the Establishment Survey (ES), a large-scale national study that provides demographic and media consumption data across the population. However, it is important to note that the ES has undergone changes, with the current ES ’25 being conducted by GfK, starting in September 2025, with initial insights expected in Q1 2026. [31]
Finally, it is crucial to remember that audience numbers are not absolute figures but sample-based estimates. While the BRC and the industry use statistical techniques to maximise the accuracy and reliability of these estimates, it’s essential to recognize that there will always be margins of error around any audience number. The BRC’s position is that audience data will only be released when it is statistically ready, emphasizing the importance of stability and representativeness in the sample. [32]
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