For the second time in a few months, the High Authority for Audiovisual Communication (HACA) has reiterated that "any audience measurement carried out outside its framework and certification is considered illegal and constitutes a violation of the legislation in force. Such practices pose a risk of destabilizing the Ivorian media ecosystem. Consequently, they are strictly prohibited.
The press release published on September 20 follows on from the one issued on July 18 on the same subject and also specifies that "any individual or legal entity wishing to conduct an audience study on a private customer base must comply with strict conditions: the use of this data must remain internal and confidential, the methodology used must be validated by the HACA, and no channel may be identified without its explicit consent.
In the event of non-compliance with these rules, sanctions will be imposed by the HACA, without excluding claims for compensation from the injured parties."
This new call to order, which comes on the heels of the launch of AFRICAMAT, the new tool developed by MEDIAMETRIE for CANAL+ADVERTISING, puts additional pressure on the HACA itself.
In fact, almost two years ago, it committed to implementing a single, consensus-based measure for audiovisual media audiences, but the process is still ongoing and, in the best-case scenario, will not be operational for several months.
While the proliferation of audience measurement systems may indeed have destabilizing effects, the absence of data over a long period of time could weaken Ivorian channels and the advertising market, which would thus be deprived of a compass.