Ipsos MediaCT, Innerscope Research Announce Next Generation of TV Program Testing

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Mar 23, 2012, 06:00 ET

NEW YORK, March 23, 2012 /PRNewswire/ - Ipsos MediaCT and Innerscope Research, Inc. have partnered to offer an innovative approach for evaluating TV shows that measures both the conscious and unconscious responses of audiences.

The new joint product, emoTV, is a first for the market research industry in that it combines three distinct methodologies - biometric research, nationwide survey data and biometrically-informed focus groups. In combination, these methodologies provide a complete evaluation of how a target audience responds to a new TV pilot or recurring show and, even more crucially, identify what can be done to increase engagement.

Bruce Friend, President, Ipsos MediaCT making the announcement said: "We're excited to be working on this new product with Innerscope Research, a company who like us, are recognized as a leader in their field. As someone who has worked in the TV industry for over 30 years I know the problem of relying on just one set of data to make a decision on new content, emoTV gets around this problem and will help us to help our clients make smarter decisions about their content."

Commenting on the new product Dr. Carl Marci, Innerscope's CEO and Chief Science Officer said: "This latest product development between Innerscope and Ipsos leverages our complementary research expertise in a comprehensive way, truly enabling us to bring best in class solutions to brand leaders and media content producers."

Innerscope's Biometric Monitoring System^TM powers the biometric data collection and analysis for emoTV. As participants watch TV content, four biometric indicators of emotion are passively collected on a moment-by-moment basis: skin conductance, heart rate, respiration and motion. Once quantified, this data shows the peaks and troughs in engagement for each show segment as well as engagement with different elements within the show, such as a particular storyline or character. Biometric data collection takes place nationwide for broad geographic representation, including Los Angeles, Orlando, and Boston.

Ipsos MediaCT is responsible for the online survey and focus group elements of emoTV. The survey, carried out nationwide, uses a dial developed by Ipsos MediaCT to identify and then probe scenes that a participant likes or dislikes using open-ended questioning. The responses to the open-ended questions provide the consumers' narrative scene-by-scene to help interpret the biometric data. The survey also has closed-ended questions to get at reactions to the show and specific elements of it, to identify strengths and weaknesses.

The results of both techniques are explored qualitatively through biometrically-informed focus groups. These sessions are designed to dive deeper into the audience's conscious and unconscious response to key show segments and elements. Focus groups can take place in any location, such as the Time Warner Medialab NYC, sponsored by Ipsos MediaCT and Innerscope, the Innerscope Media Lab in Boston or in more conventional viewing facilities.

"Ipsos and Innerscope were really smart in how they built their new system," said Ellen C. Ryan, vice president Research, HGTV & DIY Network. "By layering the new Biometric data over traditional tools such as dials, questionnaires and focus groups, they are able to provide deeper insights into when a TV program successfully engages viewers. While this is still new, with lots of intricacies to understand, the system has definitely taken program testing to a new level!"

For more information on this news release, please contact:

Bruce Friend
President
Ipsos MediaCT
(646) 313-7680
[email protected]