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Temps de lecture : 3min 56s

In order to carry out media audience measurements and study changes in public behaviour, Médiamétrie must closely monitor changes in the French population and their multimedia equipment. To do this, the institute relies on INSEE data and also on its own studies. Médiamétrie has recently developed a new comprehensive and accurate system.

Knowing the equipment to keep customers informed and define audience measurements

Media practices have been changing very significantly for several years, especially since the appearance of new multimedia equipment and service offerings. French households' access to the Internet, the multimedia equipment of these households and the services to which they subscribe shape their media and multimedia uses.

Médiamétrie studies these trends closely to inform its clients about the habits of the public. In doing so, Médiamétrie deciphers the growing use of digital technology in France.

Thibaut Evide, Key Accounts Director at Médiamétrie, explains: “To understand how new uses are developing, it is essential to monitor changes in audiovisual and digital equipment. Equipment, subscriptions and methods for accessing content have a reciprocal influence on uses. While it is now possible to access TV and video content on all devices through an Internet subscription only, it is important to monitor the evolution of conventional TV reception methods.”

Charlotte Leboucher, Director of Research at Médiamétrie, says “it is important for our customers to monitor changes in the equipment used in French homes. It is useful to help them to understand their development, as well as the profiles of people owning such equipment, in order to better target their products or services. Thanks to this study, our customers can detect new markets in which to develop.”

Furthermore, Médiamétrie is the only stakeholder to offer a consolidated and accurate view of media consumption. To carry out its surveys and form its panels, Médiamétrie uses INSEE data concerning the composition of the population. Médiamétrie’s Data Science Department uses data from the INSEE “Population Census” and “Employment Survey” in particular to annually estimate the household population by socio-demographic and geographic criteria and thus create its own socio-demographic bases.

For example, in 2023, while INSEE identifies a total of 68 million inhabitants in France, for its studies, Médiamétrie uses a household population of 64.3 million individuals in mainland France.

To measure audiences, Médiamétrie must also have precise knowledge of the equipment in each home. Aurélie Vanheuverzwyn, Executive Director at Médiamétrie, explains: “representing appropriately the panels in terms of audiovisual equipment is essential. To ensure this representation, Médiamétrie must have reliable and current framing data on these different pieces of equipment. Framing ensures that the various Médiamétrie reference studies are constantly representative of French homes in terms of multimedia equipment and types of Internet access. This concerns Médiamat, Total Internet, Web Observatory and Smart TV Barometer, as well as future cross-media and hybrid TV measurements”.

For this, Médiamétrie relies on the Equipment Barometer - the new name of the Home Devices study - which has had a section on mobile home devices since January 2023. This was previously present in the Internet Usage Observatory, which was discontinued at the end of 2022.

The Equipment Barometer therefore becomes the unique reference study for multimedia equipment and types of Internet access in households.

A comprehensive measurement

Through a large population sample, the Equipment Barometer studies trends and developments in household equipment and offers a picture of all types of Internet access: fixed, mobile, at home and outside the home.

Médiamétrie first monitors developments in the equipment fleet: TV sets, computers, tablets, mobile phones, games consoles, home cinemas, connected speakers, video projectors, boxes, etc. It collects data from multiple devices and detects the appetite for new equipment. It is based on more than 9 years of history.

Another dimension is determining the socio-demographic profile of Internet accessors and those equipped for each device: sex, age, socio-professional category, habitat, size of household, etc. The study allows us to compare the profiles of those equipped and not equipped on the desired devices.

Finally, beyond the equipment itself, the study also provides information on TV characteristics, TV peripherals, TV reception and offers, SVOD subscriptions, location of the main set, HD/4K/UHD, as well as Internet and telephone access (types of home Internet access, ISP, box, mobile phone/smartphone, etc.).

Equipment measurement methods

Médiamétrie surveys 10,000 households representative of all French households every six months, i.e. 20,000 households per year.

Once the households have been recruited by telephone, Médiamétrie sends them a support guide presenting the equipment in detail in order to obtain precise and reliable answers. Their answers are collected online or by telephone. There are two survey periods each year: January to June and September to December. There are several reasons for these choices of survey period: the months of July and August and the end of December are atypical periods and it is more complicated to interview households. Furthermore, equipment developments can be observed in the medium term and twice a year is a good rate in this regard.

Charlotte Leboucher says: “Certain indicators such as internet access or TV equipment are today very high. The developments are remarkable, mainly on subscriptions to new services or on equipment with high technological added value, such as smart TVs, 4K, UHD, or even multimedia gateways. Developments are also relevant over longer periods of time, such as several half-years or years, which the history of this study allows us to do. We carry out regular monitoring to keep informed of new products on the market. The integration of new equipment takes place when we think it is justified and when it is not a niche piece of equipment.

Laure Osmanian Molinero