NATIONAL MEDIA SURVEY (NMS)

The NMS, first published in 1985, is currently an important Industry Standard in the world of media in Sri Lanka. It is the currency for buying and selling advertising space and the norm setter for the selection of publications. Therefore, taking into account the rapidity with which the media scene in Sri Lanka is changing, the frequency of the NMS has been increased to once a year from 1999. The latest NMS (NMS 2006-2007) having a sample size of almost 10,000 was completed in December 2006.                                                                                                                                               As in previous years, the main aim of NMS is to measure readership with accuracy and impartiality, with the primary objective of providing advertisers, advertising agencies and publishing houses with information that can be used for buying and selling advertising space in the print media.. A secondary objective is to provide media users with data on comparative exposure levels of other mass media such as radio, television and cinema.

For Publishers the NMS helps in:  ·         Developing / fine tuning editorial matter which meets needs of target groups  ·         Deciding on the pricing structure for advertising material     ·         Estimating (on the basis of historical data) the likely readership of a new publication

 For Advertisers it helps in:    ·         Relating the advertising mix to specific target audiences  ·     Allocating media spend across the different media

 For Advertising Agencies the NMS helps in :     ·         Making media planning faster and more objective  ·   Aiding in  the evaluation of different media schedules for arriving at the optimum media plan  ·    Providing pre and post campaign diagnostics and cost efficiency

 The NMS is also an excellent way of obtaining the most up-to-date demographic information on Sri Lanka, especially in the absence of a Census

 For maximum utilization of the NMS database, LMRB provides a free Data Analysis software package DAN, in a user friendly Windows format. DAN may be used to cross-analysis respondents’ media habits data by over a dozen demographic variables such as sex, age, occupation, income, socio-economic class, location etc. DAN can also be used to work out newspaper & magazine profiles, radio & tv channel profiles, cumulative reach and duplication between media as well as between vehicles within a single media.     As an additional service, LMRB can arrange for the supply of sophisticated Media Planning software to evaluate Clients’ media schedules. 

In January 2004 LMRB launched its state-of-the-art Peoplemeter System (PMS) for the measurement of TV audiences, replacing its diary-based TV Rating System (TRP) which had functioned since 1994.

LMRB’s sophisticated electronic measurement system uses a panel of 300 households (approximately 1,250 respondents aged 4 years & above) to track what is being watched on television 24 hours a day. The panel has been designed to represent TV owning households in Sri Lanka excluding the North. Subscribers receive weekly updates to their databases, which can then be manipulated using LMRB’s MediaXpress software to provide a minute by minute analysis of TV audiences.

LMRB’s PMS system has been accepted as the Industry Standard for TV audience measurement in Sri Lanka and counts all major TV channels and Ad agencies among its clientele.