Research director Lynne Robinson explained that the IPA chose Ipsos over TNS as it was able to derive its sample through re-contacts of respondents to the National Readership Survey, which Ipsos also holds the contract for.

This approach, Robinson said, would provide the IPA with a “high-quality sample in a very cost-effective way”.

TNS has been involved in Touchpoints since 2004 when it was brought in to replace NOP, who had worked on an earlier unsuccessful trial of the survey.

Despite this week’s appointment of a new supplier, Robinson said the Touchpoints methodology will remain relatively unchanged. Around 5,000 UK adults will be given electronic diaries in which they will record their whereabouts, who they were with, what they were doing and their mood at half-hour intervals over the course of a week.

Respondents will also be asked to complete a questionnaire on their general media use, their attitudes to a wide range of issues, their activities and their shopping habits.

Fieldwork will get under way in September and the results of the survey are expected to be made available in July next year. Wave Three data was originally intended for release during 2009. Robinson blamed the delay on the recession.

Once the ‘hub’ survey data is published it will be fused with the UK’s various media currencies – including Barb (TV), NRS (print) and Rajar (radio) – to create an integrated planning database (IPD) that will be made available a few months later.

Robinson said the IPA would “very much hope” to have web audience measurement data from the UK Online Measurement Company (UKOM) ready for integration with the IPD this time around. UKOM is currently in talks to appoint Nielsen Online as its official supplier of industry-agreed web audience data.