Profs. Phalen and Ducey To Undertake Study of Video Screens and Formats

COUNCIL FOR RESEARCH EXCELLENCE TO UNDERTAKE STUDY OF USER EXPERIENCE ON MULTIPLE VIDEO SCREENS AND FORMATS

The Council for Research Excellence (CRE), a diverse group of senior research professionals from throughout the media and advertising industries dedicated to advancing the knowledge and practice of audience measurement methodology, announced today that it has selected research and advisory firm BIA/Kelsey to handle its latest project – a comprehensive effort to review research that is currently available about the user experience on multiple video platforms.

The selection of BIA/Kelsey followed a request for proposal CRE issued to industry researchers in October 2010. BIA/Kelsey Chief Strategy Officer Dr. Richard V. Ducey and Dr. Patricia Phalen, Associate Professor at the George Washington University School of Media & Public Affairs, are the co-principal investigators on the project team. Dr. Ducey is also teaching at SMPA this semester.

"Television viewing used to be limited to spaces with TV sets. Not anymore! Viewing on computer screens and other evolving technologies require new ways to measure audiences," said Dr. Patricia Phalen. "That's why Professor Ducey and I are working with the CRE to identify everything researchers know about how and why people choose different screens to watch video content. We're asking questions like: Why do people choose one screen over another? How do evolving technologies affect the viewing experience? And what are the advantages and drawbacks to various research methods for measuring these audiences?"

The objective of this latest study will be to enable CRE to design and commission comprehensive new research into the latest and evolving formats of video, including live viewing; screen-size impact; HDTV; DVRs; streaming; mobile; game consoles; 3-D TV; tablet PCs; and others as may be found in the course of the review.

"The video landscape is always changing and research is challenged to keep up with its impact on the audience/user experience," said Jack Wakshlag, chief research officer, Turner Broadcasting, and chairman of the CRE's Media Consumption & Engagement Committee. "We know there is a lot of research activity in the space and this project is designed to gather what currently exists so next steps can be planned. Eventually we want get a research based understanding of users' thoughts, attitudes and behavior as they enter a world filled with an abundance of formats and platforms."

The new study is expected to be completed in May 2011.

About the Council for Research Excellence:

The Council for Research Excellence (CRE) is an independent research group created (in 2005) and funded by The Nielsen Company. CRE is dedicated to advancing the knowledge and practice of audience measurement methodology and is comprised of senior-level industry researchers representing advertisers, agencies, broadcast networks, cable, syndicators, local stations, and industry associations. CRE members represent advertising agencies and media-buying firms including Bromley Communications, Carat, Deutsch, GroupM, Horizon Media, Magna, Starcom MediaVest and TargetCast tcm; media companies including CBS, Comcast, Cox, Discovery, Disney, Hearst Television, NBC Universal, News Corporation, Raycom Media, Scripps Networks, Time Warner, Univision and Viacom; advertisers including Kimberly-Clark, Microsoft, Procter & Gamble and Unilever; industry organizations including the Media Rating Council (MRC), the Syndicated Network Television Association (SNTA); and the Nielsen Company.

For more information about the Council for Research Excellence, please visit: http://www.researchexcellence.com/