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MARKETING RESEARCH
GfK to fill Nielsen’s shoes as latter plans its exit from SA market
By our African Marketing Confederation News Team | 2025
Broadcast Research Council of SA appoints GfK to replace Nielsen in designing and deploying a new Total Video Measurement service.
In the wake of the recent decision by research company Nielsen to exit the South African market, the country’s Broadcast Research Council (BRC) has announced the appointment of GfK to design and deploy a new Total Video Measurement service.
In late 2024, at the request of broadcasters, the BRC initiated a review of its current TAMS (Television Audience Measurement Survey) service to identify practical improvements to better meet the evolving measurement needs of the marketplace.
According to Gary Whitaker, CEO of the BRC, the announcement of GfK’s appointment is about business confidence.
“We listened to the market, reviewed the status quo, commissioned a new Establishment Survey, and ran a rigorous, business-led process,” Whitaker says in a statement.
“With GfK’s appointment we now have a clear roadmap: first a new daily TV currency, then the inclusion of broadcaster on-demand, and by year-end 2027 a true Total Video service that mirrors how South Africans really watch.
Photo: Kaboompics from Pexels
“Broadcasters can prove their reach, agencies can plan with clarity, and advertisers can be sure every (ZAR) rand is working.”
The BRC says it is working with Nielsen, as the existing TAMS provider, to coordinate an orderly transition. Nielsen will continue to deliver data until Phase One of the new measurement service launches on 1 January 2027.
Reports the local television industry website, TV with Thinus: “South Africa’s broadcasters asked for an overhaul of the existing TAMS service and identified gaps in measuring the total video audience, which continues to fragment and splinter across linear, recorded and catch-up, streaming, and other platforms and means.”
Nielsen confirms South African exit
Nielsen confirmed in early September that it would be leaving South Africa within the next 12 months, ending a 30-year tenure in the country.
The company was founded in 1923 and is one of the world’s biggest market research and data analytics companies, employing over 30,000 people in 100-plus countries.
In a LinkedIn post commenting on the exit announcement, industry executive Oresti Patricios said Nielsen had set a global benchmark for data and analytics, helping South Africa align and compete on the international stage.
“Their presence has elevated the standards of our industry, fostering collaboration even among competitors. In moments when systems faltered, we’ve relied on each other to ensure clients had access to the critical data they needed. This spirit of collaboration, even in competition, is what makes this loss so profound,” he wrote.
“We’re witnessing a step back – a loss that impacts not just our industry but the broader economic landscape of South Africa,” said Patricios, who is CEO of the Ornico Group, a marketing insights and intelligence company.
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