- 14 Feb 2023
From NLO to NMO: a first look at the figures
The very first listening figures from the new National Media Survey (NMO) were published in the Netherlands on 1 February. For each station, the data have been compiled retrospectively from 1 January 2023 and shared with the market. This new method is very different from the old one (NLO).
A first look at the figures
The main change is the switch from the ‘diary method’ to a passive measurement by means of an app. Previously, respondents kept a diary, recording their listening habits for each quarter retrospectively. With the new NMO, the Mediacell app keeps minute-by-minute records of which radio station is being listened to.
First data available
Of course, any new survey is a watershed moment. We are currently in the very first weeks, and the data are still fresh off the press. The design and methodology of NMO is a world first, and that always has consequences. It will take some time before all of the ‘teething issues’ have been removed from the survey.
But this is just a new way of measuring listening habits, not a sudden change to reality. A BNR advertiser will still see the same effect from the same campaign effort as would have been the case in the past. The likelihood of your campaign reaching the right target audience is still as good as ever with BNR.
New data deliver new insights
Despite the reservations (see statement below) that we currently have, there are still many positives in the first datasets:
BNR remains very strong in key target audiences:
- Men, aged 25-54, AB1 (the two highest social classes)
- Men, aged 20-49, AB1, who work at least 25 hours per week
- HBO+ education
- Highest social class (A)
- Highly affluent
Marc Adriani has issued the following statement:
It is not yet possible to interpret the figures because the B2B group is not yet representative in the new survey. NMO has drawn up an action plan to improve representation of the commercial target audience in order to ensure that the figures are also useful for BNR. The introduction of NMO marks a change in methodology and not to the effect of audio campaigns on BNR, for which we can rely to a large extent on the independent effect surveys that we conduct on our audio campaigns. Because of the higher level of attention achieved, the BNR audio campaigns result in an average brand lift of +17.3%.
Interested in finding out more about the impact that BNR audio resources can achieve?
Click the button to download the White Paper ‘A new era for audio’.