TOTAL VIDEO MEASUREMENT (TVM)

The new South African video measurement currency

On 1 January 2027, the BRC replaces TAMS with Total Video Measurement (TVM): a single, independently governed currency covering television and measured online video. TVM is published daily from one fused panel, under one mandatory set of calculation and reporting rules, and is delivered through any BRC-certified software vendor. Here you will find the Executive Summary, the Methodology and Calculation and Reporting Rules, a public Q&A and a glossary — everything you need to understand how TVM works, what changes, and how to prepare. Test data is available from end-October 2026.

From test data to launch: four key dates.

BRC delivers the research, measurement and data. The market builds the commercial products and tools around it. Both are needed for the currency to work.

How does TVM work?

Watch the explainer video to learn how TVM works.

What BRC delivers — and what it does not

BRC delivers the research, measurement and data. The market builds the commercial products and tools around it. Both are needed for the currency to work.

What BRC delivers

The fused panel. ~4,200 TV homes with people-meters (router meters in ~25–30% of homes for connected-TV capture on the big screen), fused daily with a ~2,000-person online panel for online video on personal devices.

The universes. Refreshed from the BRC Establishment Survey — individuals 4+ in TV homes for Broadcaster Total TV, individuals 15+ across the Total Video universe.

The daily currency. One fused dataset, with two reporting levels: Broadcaster Total TV and Total Video, published daily.

The mandatory rulebook. Every official TVM figure follows the BRC Calculation and Reporting Rules. This ensures consistent calculation and reporting across the market.

Software certification. Any BRC-certified vendor can deliver TVM data. Certification ensures that official TVM calculations are implemented consistently across approved software. There is no vendor lock-in.

Metadata harmonisation. BRC maintains consistent channel, platform, programme and advertising identifiers so that TVM outputs can be reported consistently across certified software.

Governance and oversight. BRC oversees the TVM methodology, standards and reporting rules through its governance and technical structures to maintain an independent, trusted industry currency.

What BRC does not deliver

AdIntel / advertising expenditure tracking. TVM is an audience-measurement currency, not a competitive-spend service. AdIntel remains a separate market service.

Commercial products and services. BRC does not develop or sell commercial planning products, dashboards or campaign tools built around TVM. These are provided competitively by broadcasters, agencies, sales houses and certified software vendors, subject to applicable TVM data-use rules.

Buy-side and sell-side trading tools. Planning, buying, scheduling, inventory management and reach-and-frequency modelling applications are built by software vendors on top of TVM data, under the mandatory rulebook.

Bespoke or client-specific reporting. BRC publishes the industry currency; custom analysis, campaign reporting and post-analysis are provided through certified software and market service providers.

Content strategy or programming advice. TVM provides measured audience data at the level supported by the currency; editorial, commissioning and programming decisions remain the responsibility of broadcasters and platforms.

News

The latest TVM news and events

The New South African Video Measurement Currency

On 1 January 2027, South Africa moves to a new industry currency for video audiences: Total Video Measurement (TVM). TVM test data will be available from end-October 2026, giving the industry time to prepare systems, planning processes and teams ahead of the January launch.

Total Video Measurement (TVM) Executive Pre-Launch

Johannesburg, October 15 2025 — The Broadcast Research Council of South Africa (BRC) in partnership with GfK (an NIQ company) presented our new Total Video Measurement service.

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