PPM Is ‘In’ in Canada

The audience measurement firm for Canada has adopted Arbitron’s Portable People Meter as its new technology standard going forward.
That means as BBM Canada “expands into new markets or replaces current meter technology (Picture Matching) in existing markets,” it will use PPM, according to spokesman Mike Ferreira.
For TV, that process begins now; for radio, PPM testing could begin this year.
The board of BBM Canada, he said, recognizes that the onset of HDTV, portable video recorders, DVDs and the increasing opportunity to watch TV outside the home will make wired-in place meters ineffective in measuring TV.
The board also noted the interest in adopting PPM for radio in Canada. The audience measurement firm has begun encoding radio stations in Montreal in anticipation of a radio PPM test as early as this fall.
BBM first acquired the rights to use the PPM in Canada in 1992, according to Arbitron.