TAM Ireland

What TAM Ireland does

TAM Ireland is the official television audience measurement body for the Republic of Ireland, established to provide independent, industry-accepted viewership data used as the trading currency for Irish TV advertising. It operates a measurement panel of approximately 1,090 homes covering roughly 2,700 individuals and 1,500 television sets, using Nielsen metering technology installed across panel households. Daily overnight ratings are delivered by 9:30am, covering both linear broadcast and time-shifted viewing up to seven days post-transmission, including PVR recordings and broadcaster VOD catch-up services.

Its core technical offering combines an electronic meter on every TV set in the panel with audio signature matching against reference site data, plus a router-attached Streaming Meter (rolled out from 2019) that captures video streaming activity on every connected device in the home. A complementary Total Video Panel, built with Nielsen technology and covering 400+ households, extends measurement beyond traditional broadcaster content to SVOD services (Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video) and video sharing platforms such as YouTube. An Establishment Survey conducted by Behaviour & Attitudes interviews roughly 9,350 households per year across two waves to provide the demographic and device-ownership universe against which panel data is weighted.

TAM Ireland is governed by industry stakeholders (broadcasters, agencies) and funded through subscriptions to its data services rather than product sales. It serves three core customer segments — TV broadcasters (RTÉ, Virgin Media Television, Sky Ireland, TG4), media agencies (Core, OMD, Havas Media, Spark Foundry, PHD Media), and brand advertisers — and supplements measurement revenue with industry development activity: the annual TAMI Awards (whose Grand Prix winner receives €100,000 of TV airtime), the Long Lunch industry event, the TV Masters Training programme delivered via Thinkific, and recurring research publications such as The TV Persistence Dividend and the ADland V IREland Survey. Jill McGrath has led the organisation as CEO since 2012.

Name

TAM Ireland

Legal name

TAM Ireland

Website

https://tamireland.ie

Company type

Private

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

TAM Ireland is the official TV audience measurement body for Ireland, operating a Nielsen-powered panel of ~1,090 homes to provide independent viewership data used as the advertising trading currency by Irish broadcasters, agencies, and brand advertisers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Television Audience Measurement

NAICS

Broadcasting and Content Providers (516), Television Broadcasting Stations (51612), Advertising Agencies (541810)

SIC

Television Broadcasting Stations (4833), Services-Advertising Agencies (7311)

akta.pro primary industry

Local TV Audience Measurement (DMA/Station-Level Ratings) (MPABAOAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Ad Campaign Measurement, Reach/Frequency & Attribution (TV/CTV/Radio) (MPABAOAG), Media Planning Currency, Verification & Accreditation Services (MRC/Industry Audits) (MPABAOAK), Social/Second-Screen & Cross-Media Attention Measurement (TV+Digital+Social) (MPABAOAL), Media & Audience Measurement Analytics (BPAHALAO)

Keywords

• Television audience measurement
• TV ratings data
• Cross-device video measurement
• Broadcast advertising research
• TV planning analytics

Headquarters

HQ city

Dublin

HQ country

Ireland

HQ region

Europe

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Technology or R&D, Operations, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Others

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

TAM Ireland operates the official television audience measurement system for the Irish market, collecting viewing data via Nielsen electronic meters and audio matching technology installed in a representative panel of approximately 1,090 homes (~2,700 individuals). It produces daily overnight ratings, time-shifted viewing reports (up to 7 days), and cross-device measurement including streaming, which serve as the trading currency for TV advertising transactions between Irish broadcasters, agencies, and brand advertisers.

Product overview

TAM Ireland operates as the Irish television audience measurement body, providing a comprehensive suite of measurement and research services for the TV industry. The core offering is the TV Measurement System, which uses Nielsen technology to measure viewing behavior across approximately 1,090 panel homes. Complementary products include the Total Video Panel and Streaming Meter for comprehensive cross-device measurement, Viewing Data Reports (Top Programmes, Reach and Share, Universes), Research Publications (including The TV Persistence Dividend and ADland V IREland studies), Industry Training programs, The TAMIs Awards, Creative Showcase galleries, and industry events like The Long Lunch.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The TAMI Awards: Ireland's TV Planning Awards that celebrate brilliantly effective uses of TV and the people behind them. Grand Prix winner receives €100,000 worth of TV airtime.

Products and services

• TV Measurement System The primary television audience measurement service for the Irish market, using Nielsen technology to collect viewing data from a panel of approximately 1,090 homes (~2,700 individuals and ~1,500 TV sets). Measures linear TV and time-shifted viewing across all connected devices; delivers daily overnight ratings at 9:30am and 7-day consolidated ratings.
• Total Video Panel A representative panel of all TV households using Nielsen technology installed in over 400 households, measuring viewing across all devices (TV sets, streaming devices, and connected platforms). Captures viewing of broadcaster TV, SVOD services, and video sharing platforms for total cross-platform video measurement.
• Viewing Data Reports Regular reports including Top Programmes, Reach and Share, Universes, and Viewing Trends, providing statistics and trends on TV viewing in Ireland. Available to the public via the website and to agencies/broadcasters via the secure client portal.
• Research Publications Industry research studies including The TV Persistence Dividend, ADland V IREland Survey, Signalling: Media's X-Factor, Reasons to Pay Attention to TV, and other Irish-market research reports. Distributed as downloadable reports via the TAM Ireland website.
• Industry Training Programs Paid educational programs for the Irish TV industry, including Introductory TV Training and TV Masters Training, delivered through the Thinkific online learning platform. Designed for agency planners, buyers, and brand marketers using TV advertising in Ireland.

Quantifiable outcome

• The average Irish adult watches 2 hours 20 minutes of TV per day (2025)
• +3 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NielsencoreTechnology or Integration · 1 January 1996Nielsen Television Audience Measurement has been providing the official ratings measurement service in Ireland since 1996. Nielsen provides the metering technology, panel management, and data processing infrastructure that powers TAM Ireland's audience measurement currency. The contract is held by Nielsen and is the foundation of TV advertising trading in Ireland.
• Behaviour and Attitudes (B&A)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerB&A conducts the Establishment Survey (ES) for TAM Ireland/Nielsen - the largest random probability sampling survey in Ireland. Approximately 9,350 households per annum across 2 waves are interviewed about TV set and device ownership, reception type, broadband access, and household composition. This survey provides the TV landscape data used for panel weighting and recruitment.
• RTÉcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRTÉ is the national broadcaster and a primary stakeholder in TAM Ireland. RTÉ's content dominates Irish TV viewing, with The Late Late Toy Show consistently ranking as the most-watched programme annually. RTÉ provides transmission logs and collaborates on measurement standards.
• Virgin Media TelevisioncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVirgin Media Television is a major Irish broadcaster and key stakeholder in TAM Ireland. Their channels including Virgin Media One, Two, and Three contribute to Irish TV viewing data and measurement standards.
• Sky IrelandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSky Ireland operates multiple channels and streaming services in Ireland. Sky has provided TAM with access to set-top box data, enabling enhanced time-shift and streaming measurement capabilities. Sky channels are included in TAM's all-channel viewing reports.
• TG4minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTG4 is the Irish-language national broadcaster and contributes to TAM Ireland's measurement coverage for Irish-language programming and audiences.
• Thinkbox (UK)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThinkbox is the UK TV marketing body that provides research, training, and industry education. TAM Ireland collaborates on industry training programs including TV Masters Training, and shares research insights on TV effectiveness.

Scale indicators18 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• OzTAM: Australia's official television audience measurement body for metropolitan and regional markets, operating the OzTAM panel using Nielsen metering technology and publishing consolidated overnight TV ratings. Direct peer to TAM Ireland in being a national joint-industry currency body.
• Video Research Ltd. Japan's primary television audience measurement company, operating the VR panel for national and regional TV ratings. Comparable to TAM Ireland as a panel-based national TV audience measurement currency provider.
• B&P (Bundesverband Digitale Wirtschaft / formerly ag.ma): Germany's working group for media analysis (formerly ag.ma / now part of BVDW), responsible for defining official reach and audience measurement standards across TV, online, and radio. Comparable to TAM Ireland as an industry-coordination body setting cross-media measurement standards.
• AUDITEL: Italy's television audience measurement joint industry body, operating the SuperPanel using Nielsen metering technology. Highly comparable as a national TV measurement currency body for a single European market.
• Numeris (formerly BBM Canada): Canada's audience measurement organization operating the Numeris panel for television, radio, and digital measurement, providing the official currency for Canadian TV ad trading. Structurally identical to TAM Ireland as a non-profit, industry-funded national measurement body.
• BARB (Broadcasters' Audience Research Board): UK's official television audience measurement body, providing the industry-currency ratings used for trading TV advertising in the UK. BARB is the closest structural analogue to TAM Ireland - both are industry-funded joint-industry committees overseeing panel-based TV measurement for a national market.
• AGF (Arbeitsgemeinschaft Fernsehforschung): Germany's joint industry committee for television audience measurement, operating the AGF Videoforschung panel using Nielsen technology. Comparable to TAM Ireland as a national, industry-funded TV measurement currency body.
• Médiamétrie: France's official TV and cross-media audience measurement body, operating the Médiamat panel for television and expanding into digital and radio measurement. Highly comparable to TAM Ireland in mandate (national TV currency) and in extending panel-based measurement to streaming and digital platforms.

Broad incumbents

• Nielsen: Global leader in audience measurement and the underlying technology partner of TAM Ireland since 1996; Nielsen supplies the metering hardware, panel management, audio matching, and data processing infrastructure that powers TAM Ireland's panel. Closely comparable as the operating technology layer beneath TAM Ireland's currency.
• Kantar Media: Global audience measurement and media analytics competitor to Nielsen, operating competing TV audience measurement panels in multiple markets (e.g., BARB in the UK until 2017). Comparable to TAM Ireland's ecosystem as a global measurement incumbent with the technical capability to deliver national TV currencies.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/tam_ireland
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tam-ireland

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about TAM Ireland