MxMIndia

Tag: BARC India

  • 18 cases reported to Disciplinary Committee in 28 months. Action taken against 12 channels

    BARC India scales up drive against panel tampering

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India has upped its vigilance drive with stronger counter-measures to protect the system from panel tampering and other unfair practices with respect to manipulation of television viewership, notes a communique.

     

    In March 2017, BARC India had set up an independent Disciplinary Committee (DisComm) to probe complaints of viewership malpractice. Over the course of last 28 months, 18 cases have been referred to the DisComm with evidence of such malpractices.

     

    According to a press release, the highest number of instances have been reported from markets in South India: six from Tamil Nadu, five from AP/Telangana and one from Karnataka. Penal action has been taken against 12 channels in the country. It may be recalled that FIRs were filed in Telangana and arrests have been made in Karnataka and Gwalior.

     

    The DisComm is headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal, former Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, and has representation of all three industry bodies Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI). The committee also comprises of D. Shivanandan, former Mumbai Police Commissioner and Maharashtra DGP, and Paritosh Joshi, independent technical expert.

     

    Meanwhile, BARC India is also evangelizing initiatives like Sample Return Path Data (SRPD), which will not only make the viewership data more robust but will also help address the issue of panel home tampering. BARC India also has a strict code of conduct for redressing viewership malpractices that is undertaken by all entities subscribing to BARC India’s weekly service.

     

    BARC India has also engaged with TRAI and Ministry of Information & Broadcasting to get regulatory support and legal provisions to make panel tampering a punishable offence. BARC India and several industry members have made the point in TRAI’s Consultation Paper on TV viewership measurement.

     

    Said Justice Mudgal: “The functioning of the Disciplinary Committee has been extremely professional and effective since its inception in March 2017. Panel Home tampering has long plagued the industry and the giant strides that BARC India has taken to tackle this menace and the sanctions imposed have proved an effective deterrent. Along with my other committee members, we are firm in our resolve to eradicate such malpractices from the industry and shall impose appropriate sanctions as and when required.”

     

     

  • This will be available over and above the current Urban/Rural cuts to facilitate more effective planning

    BARC India to report viewership from Free & Pay platforms

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India announced that it would start reporting viewership from free and pay platforms separately starting Week 27 (June 29 –July 5).

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “There has been a strong demand from the Market for separate reporting of viewership from homes with Pay & Free connection. We have taken the market feedback in consideration with the changes that have come about in the ecosystem post the implementation of the Tariff Order. We believe this move is a step in the right direction to empower the industry in understanding the distinct consumption patterns of this segment and plan more effectively.”

     

    The new Pay & Free platform variable will be offered over and above the current Urban & Rural cuts that are reported by BARC India. It will be made available to all the subscribers for planning and analysis through its proprietary BARC Media Workstation Software. It will also be published on the website for select genres.

     

     

  • The IIM-C professors commended BARC India on its way of clearly and concisely documenting information of sample design and its overall data collection procedures 

    IIM-C presents report on BARC’s TV Panel Size

    By A Correspondent

     

    Premier B-School Indian Institute of Management Kolkata (IIM-C) has presented a report on BARC India’s TV panel sizes. The report presented to BARC India summarises the review, analysis, and recommendations for the sample design of BARC India’s panel. On sample sizes in general, the report states that an ideal sample size depends on many factors and, therefore, ‘there is no unique nor ideal solution’. Instead, sample size should be based on aspects such as the sample design, cost of sampling, overall budget, population characteristics and other internal considerations BARC India needs to account for.

     

    About sample allocation, the team was pleased with the observed mechanisms in place by BARC India toward ensuring that the sample is ‘truly representative of the population’.

     

    Some of the observations made in the report by IIM-C on BARC India’s sample size include:

    :: Appreciation of the existing practice and no need for any significant departure from the current sample sizes

    :: Opportunity of gaining additional insights by 15% to 20% increase in sample size

    :: The choice of 55K sample size for the next round appears quite reasonable

     

    The professors commended BARC India on its way of clearly and concisely documenting information of sample design and its overall data collection procedures.

     

    Said Saibal Chattopadhyay, Professor of Statistics at IIM-C and the team leader: “Three months of brainstorming and interaction with BARC India officials have been a very rewarding and enlightening experience for us. The assignment gave us a golden opportunity to directly apply our theoretical knowledge in the domain of Statistics to a complex practical problem involving TRP measurements in a country like India with enormous diversity among TV viewers. We are thankful to BARC India’s management for entrusting us with the task and are highly appreciative of their officials who have spent their valuable time to help us carry out the task to our satisfaction. BARC India has a good sample design framework in place and we have reasons to believe that they will find our report very useful and insightful.

     

    Added Derrick Gray, Chief of Measurement Science, BARC India: “It is definitely a great honour that IIM-C, the country’s premier management education institute has validated and endorsed our panel size and sampling methodology. This report by IIM-C has boosted the confidence of the entire BARC India team who work round the clock to deliver accurate, credible and robust viewership data, day-on-day, week after week. In a highly dynamic and diverse market like ours, it is a constant challenge to map the viewership patterns of 836 million individuals. But recognition like this always only makes us proud of the systems and technology set up that we have, which are at par with global standards.”

     

     

     

  • PrimaVU is a separate product and not part of the currency panel measurement

    BARC PrimaVU to measure premium homes viewership

    By A Correspondent

     

    Joint industry-led television audience measurement service BARC India today announced the launch of ‘PrimaVU which is aimed at measuring viewership from premium homes.  Notes a communique: ‘Through ‘PrimaVU’, BARC India also introduces the industry first concept of ‘Viewing Minutes’ which is basically sum of all individuals watching an Event basis the time spent by them.” PrimaVU is a separate product and not part of the currency panel measurement.

     

    The PrimaVU universe consists of the top 3% of the socio-economic strata in the six megacities of the country. A household is defined as a premium home when it meets the following criteria set by the industry: they need to qualify as a NCCS A1 home, they must own a home with minimum three rooms as well as a kitchen, the home needs to have centralised or AC in two rooms, the household must own a laptop/desktop or smartphone/tablet, they must have a private car or own a four-wheeler worth 10 lakhs or more and finally, they must have travelled to a premium holiday destinations.

     

    Data insights and dashboard will be provisioned for PrimaVU subscribers who will have access to in-depth demographic & program level data as well as critical insights for the viewership trends of the economically affluent population of the country. The panel will currently measure TV viewership habits and will gradually move to capture viewership habits across devices. Agencies subscribing to PrimaVU will also be able to plan using a module in BMW.

     

    Said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta: “We are extremely pleased to be a thought leader once again with a product like PrimaVU. This product will not only help observe if the viewership patterns of premium homes are different from that of other homes but also provide in-depth insights into this unexplored world. The industry has been very patient and valuable with their suggestions for this product. It will allow the industry to qualify the untapped upmarket audience segment better and get a stronger fix on affluent viewers.”

     

     

  • The Indian Chapter of this year’s review will be presented by Neil George

    Nivea’s Neil George to present at the IAA’s Retrospect and Prospects

    By A Correspondent

     

    We know about Retrospect & Prospects, the annual event of the India chapter of the International Advertising Association (IAA) that offers a review of the highs and lows of the MarCom world and takes one through an overview of the year gone by. In addition to this, the platform also aims at crystal-ball gazing the future trends and what to expect in times to come.

     

    This year, rather than call one of the usual suspects to conduct the review or even call an industry biggie who is well-known to the world, IAA has invited Neil George, Managing Director for Nivea-India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan to do the honours. We haven’t heard him in the past, but, then, save IAA, Ad Club and IAA events, we don’t frequent too many events and aren’t invited to them either. The event is on June 27 in Mumbai.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India on the event: “This programmes has done really well for the IAA. We have had marketing and advertising leaders giving their perspective on what was significant in the MarCom world last year and are hoping for some brilliant insights this year as well. The entire MarCom community is looking forward to understanding and evaluating what the road ahead holds.”

     

    PS: June 27, incidentally, is also Mid-Day’s anniversary, the 40th, if we remember right. Perhaps the paper should be roped in to sponsor the event… right, Mr Dasgupta?

     

     

  • Brad Bedford, a veteran audience measurement executive, has been appointed Global Managing Director of GAMMA

    BARC, three others form alliance for video measurement

    By A Correspondent

     

    Television audience measurement body BARC has joined hands with its counterparts in France (Mediametrie), Canada (Numeris) and Japan (Video Research) to collaborate on “the future of audience measurement initiatives including the development of common technical standards and operational processes, in order to benefit the existing currency services each member operates, in their respective market, through their current organisation and measurement partners.” Brad Bedford, a veteran audience measurement executive, has been appointed Global Managing Director of GAMMA.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “Audience measurement across the world needs to constantly innovate to keep pace with emerging trends. We at BARC India have always been open to learning from our global counterparts and this international alliance offers a tremendous platform to not only learn from our peers, but also to contribute.”

     

    Added Bedford: “There is an ever-increasing demand for cross device measurement internationally and the partnering of these audience measurement companies seeks to facilitate continued movement in that direction. I am truly honoured to represent this effort on a global scale. We are confident GAMMA will be a source of great knowledge sharing and continued learning for the industry.”

     

     

  • The award will be presented on Friday, December 20, 2019

    Work begins on MxMIndia 2019 Mediaperson of the Year

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    We should’ve carried this notice earlier, but it’s been a busy news period. As MxMIndia readers are aware, over the last few years, the MxMIndia Mediaperson of the Year has earned the reputation of being one of the more credible barometer of the highest performer(s) in the fields of advertising, media and marketing in a calendar year.

     

    Realising that many award shows are held at the end of the year and hence there is a tendency to only recall and accord importance to those who make an impact in the latter part of the year. MxMIndia instituted a process where we reviewed people and entities through the year by having periodic reviews and compiling the various high performers at the end of June. We did that many times in 2018. This year, we have tweaked the process and conducted one last week to review the achievers in Jan-Feb-March-April 2018.

     

    Our next review will happen in end-July or early August on the completion of the second quarter of the year.

     

    Last year’s winner of the accolade was Piyush Pandey on his rise and rise in the global creative world. In 2017, it was Arnab Goswami for the launch of Republic TV. In 2016, we had Dentsu Aegis Network South Asia CEO Ashish Bhasin and for 2015 it was the BARC India core team of Punit Goenka, Shashi Sinha and Partho Dasgupta.

     

    So who do you think will it be this year? We don’t know, and, frankly, it’s too early to even attempt forecasting and guessing the winner of the title.

     

    But, having said that, there are a few names in the bag already. If you’d like us to consider any name, write to us at editor [at] mxmindia.com or even call or whatsapp us, if you have our coordinates.

     

    This year, the award will be presented on Friday, December 20, 2019. There have been suggestions that we should conduct a ground-level event for the same. Perhaps we will. Perhaps we won’t. Wait for a decision on that.

     

     

  • Currency Panel expands to 40,000 metered homes

    BARC India to launch integrated TV plus OOH measurement

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India, the audience measurement and analytics joint industry body has added another offering to its suite of rich insight products. The company that had launched its Out of Home (OOH) TV viewership measurement service in 2018, has decided to significantly expand the offering this year.Starting this year,

     

    BARC India will be integrating TV and Out of Home TV viewership in its BARC India Media Workstation (BMW) software. This first of its kind integration of in-home and OOH TV viewing, will allow BARC India subscribers to understand the overall viewership garnered on TV and the combined impact of the two mediums.

     

    In 2018, BARC had started OOH TV viewership measurement in the three metro cities of Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru and has now significantly expanded the coverage to 120+ urban towns and cities.

     

    This, notes a communique, also comes at a time when BARC India has expanded its panel to 40,000 metered homes within the committed timeline of March 2019.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “Innovation is a part of our DNA at BARC India and it has always been our resolve to empower the industry with deeper and sharper insights into the TV viewing habits of Indians, irrespective of the screen or pipe. Our latest OOH offering is one such endeavour and we are sure that it will unlock great value for the entire broadcast ecosystem with big ticket events like Cricket World Cup and Indian Premier League coming up.

     

    ”The service will allow broadcasters and advertisers uncover more value and insights into the TV viewing behaviours both inside and outside the home. The data will also be available in the Planning module for agencies to plan effectively and account for this audience.

     

    An establishment study conducted for OOH measurement revealed that of the 836 Million TV owning individuals, at least 10% prefer visiting restaurants and eateries at least once a week. It was also observed that 13.5% of these TV viewing individuals visit said social eateries on a Sunday. The new TV + OOH measurement will enable tracking the TV viewing drive of such individuals from their homes to these social hotspots.

     

     

  • Notes the BARC statement: To set the record straight, BARC India has not stopped publishing its viewership data

    BARC responds to TRAI’s bark. Will consult stakeholders on display of data on website

    By A Correspondent

     

    Yesterday, MxMIndia carried an editorial comment on a letter that TRAI has reportedly issued to BARC (link:http://www.mxmindia.com/2019/02/comment-trai-barks-at-barc-incorrectly/)

     

    Today, BARC has issued a statement:

    To set the record straight, BARC India has not stopped publishing its viewership data. Every week, at 11 am sharp, all our subscribers have been getting all India weekly data without a hitch for the last 175 weeks, including the last 2 weeks that correspond to the NTO transition.

     

    However, we have published data of last 2 weeks with the caveat that there are changes taking place on ground due to NTO rollout due to which viewership numbers will be volatile during the transition period. The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) too has advised its members that our data should not be used for media planning and buying in the transition period.

     

    We also publish a limited amount of data on our website – intended only for larger benefit and information of trade and media. We temporarily held back release of this select headline data on our website. We did this purely to avoid mis-representation of such data (Top 5 channels/programmes etc) without looking at the larger context of NTO rollout and resulting volatility which could be misleading, lead to confusion and be counter-productive.

     

    Our position is also aligned to Ministry of Information and Broadcasting Guidelines that govern us. The guidelines clearly say that “…data generated by the rating agency be made available, on paid basis, to all interested stakeholders…”. And “Sharing of the data/reports with a third party or in public domain be allowed subject to the fair usage policy of the rating agency. Such fair usage policy shall be provided on the website of the rating agency.”

     

    TRAI has advised us that we should also consider resuming the display of top channels and programs data on our website. We are taking a considered view on that post consultation with our stakeholders.

     

     

  • ll subscribers – broadcasters, adverisers and ad agencies – are still getting the data… it’s only not being published on the BARC websites

    Comment: TRAI barks at BARC, incorrectly

    By Your Editor

     

    So telecom-and-broadcast regulator has pulled up measurement body BARC India (short for Broadcast Audience Research Council) for non-publication of ratings and viewership data. Which we believe is incorrect because BARC has only not been publishing the data on the website. All subscribers – broadcasters, adverisers and ad agencies – are still getting the data, though part-owner Indian Society of Advertisers has advised its members not to use the data for making decision on buying advertising. The IBF, representing the interests of its members, has been troubled that the transition has hampered the viewership numbers of a large number of channels.

     

    According to a report released on wire agency PTI, the TRAI has asked BARC to comply or face action. This is grossly unfair, a BARC subscriber told MxMIndia requesting for anonymity, adding that the TRAI has not been able to administer an effective transition to the new tariff regime and a large number of subscribers still don’t get all channels. “The delay of the last date to March 31 has only extended our miseries,” the subscriber averred.

     

    The PTI report can be accessed here: https://www.dailypioneer.com/2019/business/trai-directs-barc-india-to-publish-rating.html

  • Reason: Given new tariff order, while viewership is going to be impacted, so will the measurement

    Advertisers asked to stay away from fresh ratings until viewership stabilises given New Tariff Order

    By A Correspondent

     

    It’s not the first time that this has been done, but that it is happening in an election year is important to note. The TRAI and government have gone forward with the implementation of the New Tariff Order-led regime for distribution of TV signals.

     

    There are contradictory reports on this, but some numbers suggest that only 10 per cent of the TV viewing universe has switched to the new world. While it’s 10 per cent now, the number is bound to grow and there will be many homes which could even be TV signal-less. Unlikely, but possible.

     

    In this scenario, where there the viewership is going to be impacted, so will the measurement. Hence, Indian Society of Advertisers, the apex body of advertisers, and minority part-owner of joint industry body BARC India (Broadcast Audience Research Council) has advised its constituents to not factor in the new ratings that come in until viewership stabilises. While six weeks is the duration mentioned, this could well be more.

     

    It may not impact buying decisions much, but for news television which is sprucing up its act and upping the ante in the run-up to the elections, it’s a dampener. Republic.Bharat, whose viewership numbers are expected next week, may not be impacted much since its free to air, but then as viewers decide on what they want, there’s always some uncertainty. Rivals who are not free to air can always say that comparisons or claims of leadership will not be right.

     

    BARC, by the way, is not going to stop measuring watermarked channels. It will continue to do so and release ratings, as always.

     

    Meanwhile, please access the PDF below for the ISA advisory.

     

    ISA Advisory to all members regarding TRAI NTO and way forward

  • A quick look at the ratings of business channels in English and Hindi on Feb 1

    Biz channels viewership leapfrogs on Interim Budget Day. ET Now, CNBC Awaaz on top

    The viewership of business channels grew 4.7 times in English and twice in Hindi on the Interim Budget Day (February 1, 2019).

     

    The numbers below, sourced from BARC India, tell the story.

     

    Channel Prev 4 wk avg. Feb 1, 2019 Growth/ Degrowth
    English Business News 94K 451K 4.7 times
    CNBC TV 18 54K 185K 3.4 times
    ET NOW 29K 259K 9 times
    BTVI 8K 7K -13%
    CNBC TV 18 Prime HD 3K 1K -67%
    TG: All India/ M 22+ AB

    Channel Prev 4 wk avg. Feb 1, 2019 Growth/ Degrowth
    Hindi Business News 538K 1.0Mn 2 times
    CNBC Awaaz 370K 621K 1.7 times
    Zee Business 169K 454K 2.6 times
    TG: HSM/ M 22+ AB