Electronic television and radio audience measurement services carried out by Capacent Iceland

The Competition Authority has been looking into possible competition concerns in the market for media measurement in Iceland. Capacent Iceland, a research and polling company, conducts electronic media ratings in Iceland, with a so called portable people meter (ppm) produced by Nielsen Audio (formerly Arbitron). The ppm is a small electronic device that detects a hidden audio signal within a station or network's audio stream, logging each time it finds such a signal. The Competition Authority was of the view that the way in which Capacent conducted its ratings could impede competition, particularly in the market for advertising. Most notably the high cost of participation could be seen as a major barrier for new entrants. The case was concluded with a settlement between Capacent and the Competition Authority that involved certain remedies that among other are supposed to facilitate participation in the ratings system by new and smaller competitors.