MxMIndia

Tag: BARC India

  • The Zee MD and CEO will take over from Nakul Chopra

    Punit Goenka back as BARC India Chairman

    By A Correspondent

     

    Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Ltd has been elected as the new Chairman of BARC India by the Board at its meeting held yesterday (Jan 29). Goenka will take over from Nakul Chopra who has completed his one-year tenure as Chairman.

     

    Said Goenka on his appointment: “It is indeed an honour and a privilege to be re-elected BARC India Chairman. The company has grown and evolved over the years under the able Chairmanship of Sudhanshu and Nakul. Partho and his highly talented team has been able to achieve what we had all set out to. I am honoured to be back as this responsibility has come to me at a time when our industry is undergoing enormous changes and BARC India’s robust and accurate measurement system will only accelerate this transition. I am hoping that in my tenure, we will be able to take BARC into the next generation of viewership measurement and stay true to its mission of ‘What India Watches’.”

     

    Added Chopra: “Being the Chairman of BARC India has been a great experience. BARC India in the past one year has made enormous strides in the insights and analytics piece. That apart, with visualisation products like the BIO suite of products as well as OOH viewership measurement, BARC India has been able to give to the industry a powerful tool which will help in the growth of the industry. I am glad that I have been a part of this journey. I wish Punit all the best for all the future endeavours.”

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “We welcome Punit as our new Chairman. He played a critical role in setting up of BARC India, and has also been guiding us all through. His support has always helped the organisation take bold steps and innovate. We look forward to his leadership when the whole distribution paradigm is changing.”

     

     

  • IIT Kharagpur’s TYSS Santosh won the gold prize and a summer internship with BARC India for coming up with the best solution. IIT Kanpur bagged the Silver and IIT Bombay was placed third with a Bronze

    BARC collaborates with IIT for innovation in data collection

    By A Correspondent

     

    In a bid to seek next generation technology solutions to better meet the needs of TV audience measurement in India, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India got students of the Indian Institutes of Technology to come up with solutions.

     

    As part of the partnership, IITians across the country were asked to suggest newer ways of measuring TV viewership habits of 836 million TV owning individuals. The solutions BARC India was seeking included newer methods for channel, content and ad identification as well as alternative to button pushing and current visible meter used for capturing viewership data from panel homes. This was held at the Inter IIT Tech Meet held at IIT Bombay, Mumbai, from December 18 to 20. Ten IITs from across the country participated in the competition and presented their solutions to a jury.

     

    After a rigorous evaluation process, IIT Kharagpur’s TYSS Santosh won the gold prize and a summer internship with BARC India for coming up with the best solution. The proposed solution can potentially transform large conspicuous hardware in panel homes to user-friendly smart assistants, and also reduce dependency on third parties for channel identification. IIT Kanpur bagged the Silver and IIT Bombay was placed third with a Bronze. All solutions presented by the students are platform agnostic and will be further tested for their feasibility. If proven, the solution would be adopted into the system to enhance the measurement service.

     

    Said Romil Ramgarhia, COO, BARC India: “Emphasising on this collaborative approach with the sharpest minds in India for Next Gen technology solutions, , “Indian TV industry is dynamic and its needs are ever-evolving. India faces several unique issues such as power cuts, data connectivity challenges, wide disparity in temperature and climatic conditions etc., all of which impact collection of data. It thus is important for us to keep innovating and thinking ahead,” adding: “We are delighted to see the young and bright minds from the most premier technology institute of India coming up with some extra-ordinary solutions. Through this partnership, we also want to encourage students to take technology from research labs to end users, impacting a million lives.”

     

     

  • Emerged winner in the Service-Medium-sized Enterprise category at the 5th CII Industrial Innovation Awards

    BARC bags accolades at CII Awards 2018

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India bagged the ‘Most Innovative Company in Service – Medium Enterprise Category’ at the CII Industrial Innovations 2018 awards. In addition, BARC also been recognised as one of the ‘Top 25 Most Innovative Companies in India’. The announcement was made at the fifth CII Industrial Innovation Awards 2018 held in New Delhi on December 3..

     

    The Industrial Innovation Awards identify and celebrate innovative Indian enterprises across various sectors. The award has been instituted by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), and is one of the most coveted innovation awards in India.

     

    Said Shashi Sinha, BARC India Technical Committee Chairman and CEO, IPG Mediabrands:  “BARC India was set up with the aim to give the industry a measurement system that it deserved, and this could not have happened without having a strong technology backbone. The team at BARC India has been able to give the industry a technology marvel which is capable of providing the industry a representative data that helps them take better business decisions. The CII Industrial Innovation Award is proof of the great work done by the team.”

     

    Added BARC Chairman Nakul Chopra: “BARC India has been a key change agent in the viewership measurement space, and its initiatives have already started to redefine the industry. Since its inception, BARC India has tackled several challenges. But, considering we work in a dynamic industry, these challenges are never-ending. The key to success is to constantly keep innovating and be the change-maker. BARC India has been successful in doing so. We are now looking at implementing some key future projects such as Unified Video Measurement and Return Path Data, which will bring another paradigm shift in the industry.”

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “In future, technology will disrupt every single business, be it Cement, Retail, Telecomm, E-Comm or Media. It is therefore important to keep pace with the changing technology. As is said, in tomorrow’s world, the big fish will not eat the small fish, but a fast fish will eat the slow one. We at BARC India firmly believe that innovation is imperative and not a choice. We also believe that it is important to be the fearless first to inspire change and not be a mere follower. I am delighted to see that our efforts have been recognized by CII. We shall continue to empower the industry with our robust measurement,”

     

     

  • The IAA Leadership Awards saw awards being presented in 22 categories

    Ajay Piramal, Sam Balsara recognised at IAA Leadership Awards

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    The International Advertising Association’s (IAA) India Chapter presented the winners for the sixth edition of the coveted Leadership Awards at St Regis Hotel, Mumbai.

     

     

    Key highlights of the panel discussion:

    Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO- ZEEL: “TV has been the source of entertainment for every Indian household for decades and continues to be so. As the entertainment powerhouse of the country we believe only when we come together across platforms, extraordinary happens. Hence, we are here to provide the best solution to the advertisers. We are also witnessing huge growth in the regional markets and connecting with people in their own language is invaluable. Fundamentally, TV is and will always be relevant, but it is also a glorious time for marketers with digital and working together to effectively reach out to consumers”

     

    Sanjay Behl, CEO- Raymond Ltd: “Properties that are being watched in India right now are at an all-time high beating world numbers. Fundamentally, there are two questions in context of media, first being brand position and second which medium helps me build my brand. I feel brands are working towards influencing immediate purchase rather than analysing which medium helps in the long run. No doubt, that the reach of TV is high, it is also quick as product life cycles are short and TV gives you a wide reach within a 30 second Ad duration. It is also intense as TV as a broadcast medium builds passive engagement vs Digital disengagement. I also feel quality innovations have been happening in consumption of the media as TV remains the second highest return on investment after paid research. I truly believe TV is a and will remain a powerhouse medium in our country.”

     

    Shashi Sinha, CEO- IPG Media Brands India: “In the media agency ecosystem, there is a lot of discussion on ratings. I appeal that we must look at first impressions to make actual comparison and what comes easily to traditional advertisers may not appeal to the youth today. I feel TV has a long way to go and is a under nourished medium. However, for people to build brands, India still has a long way to go so one needs to advertise using TV as a medium.”

     

    Partho Das Gupta, CEO – BARC India: “TV today reaches 836 mn individuals across India, we as Indians still are TV fanatics. People are spending 4 hrs on TV in the South of India. Almost 12 hours of advertising gets telecasted in India. Hindi content is still ruling, 688 mn viewers are watching GEC serials while at a similar number 680mn are watching movies which is a higher number than people who watch movies in the theatre. Sports as a genre is also going up. Overall, I would say TV is the biggest dominant medium today and will continue to grow.”

     

    Said IAA India President Ramesh Narayan: “A unique power-packed event, we have with us advertisers, media, corporates all assembled to salute excellence in leadership. This is very inspirational.India chapter has been leading from the front to name a few initiatives #WorktoLivetoWork , IAA Mentorship for Women, IndIAA Regional Awards, Reigniting the Artist and Storyteller in you, IAA Olive Crown Awards, IndIAA national awards and for the first time in 80 years we have IAA World Congress  being hosted in Kochi in February 2019.”

     

    Before the awards were presented, a panel discussion was moderated by Partho Dasgupta, BARC India with eminent panellists –Sanjay Behl, CEO, Raymond, Shashi Sinha, CEO of IPG MediaBrands and Prathyusha Agarwal, CMO, ZEEL on television medium being a strong influencer (See box alongside).

     

    The highlight of the evening saw IAA India inducting veteran industryperson Sam Balsara into the IAA Hall of Fame for doing so much more than just founding and building a great communication company.

     

    Ajay Piramal, Chairman, Piramal Group was recognised as the IAA Business Leader of the Year. Sharing his learnings from the Bhagwad Gita he mentioned it has the philosophy that can be used to practice on a day to day basis. ” Some of the lessons I have learned are to 1. Have courage – keep fighting 2. Be fearless – take the path less travelled  3. Focus on action – results follow actions 4. Be equanimous”.

     

    The event was sponsored by Zee. Lokmat group was Associate Partner. Said Rishi Darda, Joint Managing Director and Editorial Director, Lokmat on the association: “At Lokmat as Maharahstra’s No 1 Newspaper we have always focussed on recognising individuals for their exemplary contribution across various areas. #IAALeadershipAwards  partnership compliments our organisational focus in identifying deserving marketers of today and providing a platform to create awareness on their outstanding work in their relevant area. The stellar jury also adds to the credibility of the event. The attendance of stalwarts in media, the hall of fame induction of Sam Balsara  and the motivation towards mentoring youngsters of tomorrow; all of which is focussed towards nurturing and developing the marketing fraternity. We thank industry for supporting us all through and IRS 2017 not only affirms our Maharashtra leadership but confirmed our leadership in Pune market.”

     

    Here’s a list of the prizewinners:

    Winner List – Leadership Awards 2018

     

     

  • India currently boasts of 298mn homes, of which 197mn have a TV set, reports Broadcast India 2018

    BARC survey forecasts positive viewership growth

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    You’ve been reading snatches of it in some media already. This is the full thing: BARC India has released the findings of its Broadcast India (BI) 2018 Survey, based on a sample study of three lakh homes in the country. As per the latest BI 2018 Survey, TV homes in the country have seen a 7.5 per cent jump, outpacing the growth of homes in India which grew at 4.5 per cent. India currently boasts of 298 million homes, of which 197 million have a TV set, having an opportunity of almost 100mn more TV homes in the country.

     

    BI 2018 offers data and insights that go beyond TV ownership and viewing habits. The Survey also contains a wealth of granular insights on consumer profiles and behaviour, making it a valuable ready reckoner for marketers and advertisers. This year, except field-work/data collection, all the other major parts of the study like sample and instrument design, data quality check, weighting and the software etc has been conducted by BARC themselves.

     

    Two big takeaways from BI 2018 survey is the rise of the middle class and the increase in the number of Flat TV screens. As per the Survey, with 123 million TV homes belonging to the Middle Class, NCCS B & C accounts for 63 per cent of TV homes in India. Together NCCS ABC or the affluent TV owning homes form 84 per cent of TV Homes in the country. The fact that homes falling under the low-socio economic class (NCCS D/E) have seen a 13 per cent drop, highlights the improving disposable income of an Indian home and is in line with the rising economic growth and prosperity.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “With BI 2018 we have been able to showcase the changing face of India. However, what hasn’t changed is the fact that TV remains the most effective platform for both content creators and advertisers to reach their audiences. This years’ Survey is also special to us since we have been able to bring it in-house. We have been investing heavily on technology and talent and moving this almost entirely in-house is a proof of our capabilities. As for the trends, BARC India has maintained that India is a country which is driven by family viewing and this shows in the increase in the number of TV households. With a penetration of just 66 per cent, there is still a huge scope of growth in the space.”

  • Other jury members include CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, WPP India; Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises; Agnello Dias, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu; Naveen Chopra, Sr. Advisor, TPG Capital; Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 and Dilip Cherian, Founding Partner & Group Chairman, Perfect Relations.

    Ad Club’s Marquees 2018 on Aug 29. Sanjiv Mehta to head jury

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Advertising Club has announced the second edition of ‘Marquees’, the now-annual award that awards brands for excellence in marketing and brand-building. Sanjiv Mehta, CEO & MD, Hindustan Unilever Limited & Executive Vice President, Unilever South Asia, will continue to be Jury President for Marquees 2018. The awards event will be held in Mumbai on August 29.

     

    The other jury members include CVL Srinivas, Country Manager, WPP India; Harsh Goenka, Chairman, RPG Enterprises; Agnello Dias, Founder & Chief Creative Officer, Taproot Dentsu; Naveen Chopra, Sr. Advisor, TPG Capital; Raj Nayak, COO, Viacom18 and Dilip Cherian, Founding Partner & Group Chairman, Perfect Relations.

     

    Vikram Sakhuja

    Speaking about the awards, Vikram Sakhuja, Group CEO, media and OOH, Madison Communications & President, The Advertising Club said: “The Ad Club launched the Marquees in 2017 to celebrate Excellence in Marketing. In its second year, we are happy to have the same stellar jury chaired by Unilever’s Sanjiv Mehta deciding on this year’s laurels. The Ad Club sets the gold standard for excellence in Creativity through Abbys, Effectiveness through EFFIES, Media through EMVIES and now Marketers through Marquees. Stay tuned to see the winners in each category and the Special Awards on August 29.”

     

    Partho Dasgupta

    Added Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India and Chairman, Marquees 2018: “Marquees has been able to carve out a niche for itself and I am glad to be a part of this journey. After a successful debut edition last year, I am looking forward to some great entries this year. As they say, an award is as good as its Jury and in this case the Jury can’t get better than this. The Jury with its years of experience and wisdom will be able to recognise the extra-ordinary work done by marketers over the past one year,”

     

     

  • In the April-May period, of the total TV viewership coming from Out of Home, sports accounted for 70 per cent of viewership

    BARC India’s OOH viewership measurement shows affinity towards sports genre

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India that recently launched Out of Home (OOH) viewership measurement has come out with some interesting television viewing trends.

     

    In the April-May period, of the total TV viewership coming from Out of Home, sports accounted for 70 per cent of viewership. This was followed by movies with 10 per cent and music with 8 per cent viewership. The trend is in line with the fact that these were sports heavy weeks and thus saw many restaurants/pubs/lounges showcasing channels that were airing the matches. Data also shows that the viewership for Sports genre was driven by channels on which IPL was aired.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India:“Our aim is to measure different screens and pipes and OOH is an extension of that commitment. There is a large population that consumes content on TV which is outside the bounds of home. We realised that it was important to capture those viewers as well. Before we launched rural viewership, there was blind targeting. But, inclusion of rural TV viewership helped advertisers uncover the potential of these areas. We are hoping that OOH viewership will help give better insights to advertisers and provide new opportunities.”

     

    BARC’s OOH measurement tracks viewing of individuals who are aged 15 years and above across 900+ establishments in Mumbai, Delhi, and Bangalore, using 1500+ meters. A total of 44 million people, in this TG, viewed TV in pubs/lounges/restaurants etc in the three cities during April-May. Of this, 33.3 million viewers watched Live IPL matches.

     

    Live telecast of the just concluded Indian Premiere League garnered 23.7 million impressions from OOH viewing. An increment of 8 per cent over the viewership generated from TV homes in these markets, in the 15+ TG.

     

    BARC India leveraged its Audio Watermarking technology and proven measurement capabilities to expand TV viewership measurement to OOH. This pre-subscribed service is a game changer for the industry as it uncovers a significant share of TV viewership which wasn’t being measured until now.

     

     

  • This study by ISI Kolkata, that was spread over 6 months, certifies the panel home design used by BARC India for seeding BAR-O-Meters

    ISI, Kolkata certifies representativeness of BARC India’s Panel Design

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India’s sampling methodology and panel design has been certified by the Indian Statistical Institute (ISI), Kolkata, notes a communique received from the measurement body. The certification is for the original design of 22,000 homes and the expanded 33,000

     

    Said Prof Ashis Sen Gupta, ISI, Kolkata: “The sampling method ology suggested by BARC India for Universe estimation is a reasonable one. This method is also a feasible one for implementation in practice. Overall, BARC India panel designs adopted for panel expansion as well as for TV Universe estimates ensures representativeness of ground realities given the constraints,”.

     

    Added Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “ISI Kolkata’s endorsement of our panel design and sampling methodology is yet another validation of our ability to measure what India watches. It is indeed a challenging task to accurately map TV viewing habits of 780 million individuals in a highly diverse and dynamic market like ours. I am proud of Team BARC India, which has lived up to industry’s expectation to deliver accurate, credible and robust viewership data, day-on-day, week after week. It is also a testament to the systems and technology backbone that we have set up, which is of global standards,”.

     

    The study by ISI Kolkata was spread over six months and certifies the panel home design used by BARC India for seeding BARC’s BAR-O-Meters at both 22,000 as well as 33,000 panel homes levels. It also identifies any modifications required for panel expansion to 44,000 homes.

     

     

  • In keeping with the spirit of transparency, BARC India deemed it essential to highlight a few points to its stakeholder community

    BARC issues statement on inadequate claims made by subscribers

    By A Correspondent

     

    It is fashionable for the world to throw stones at measurement agencies. It happened for years with LV Krishnan’s TAM, it happened with MRUC for IRS and now the knives are being chucked at Broadcast Audience Research Council India (BARC India). BARC has received feedback from its subscribers regarding certain malicious, baseless and inaccurate statements made in public regarding its operations and organisation structure. And hence the joint industry body has highlighted a few points that all and sundry (or the other way round) need to take note of.

     

    Here goes:

    “Being an industry body promoted by IBF, ISA and AAAI, BARC India Is neither owned by any broadcaster/advertiser/agency, nor controlled by any single company. Therefore, the question of undue influence of any single entity on BARC India’s operations does not arise. It has a strict governance structure as laid down in its Articles of Association, which ensures its arm’s length relationship with all stakeholders.

     

    IBF President, Punit Goenka said, “We take pride in saying that BARC India works in an extremely transparent and neutral environment. Its data adds immense value to industry, and we would encourage and support it to remain focused on the great work its team does, and not get detracted by false statements and unattributed innuendos. BARC India has established a measurement system at par with international standards, which should be a matter of pride for the industry.”

     

    BARC India’s systems and processes have been accepted by industry, and also lauded in global forums. The robustness and credibility of BARC India’s data is further testified by regular audit of its processes by reputed international firms like Ernst & Young and CESP. With a sample size of 135,000 individuals across the nation, BARC India operates the largest TV sample/panel in the world – much larger than the US TV sample of 90,000.

     

    Sunil Kataria, Chairman of the Indian Society of Advertisers added, “BARC India has provided industry with something it has been seeking – a robust and state-of-the-art measurement system that reports all India TV viewership with a high degree of fidelity. BARC India data helps advertisers reach and understand consumers even in the most remote and unexplored areas. It enables the Rs. 25000 crore advertising industry to take informed decisions since the data is truly representative of ground reality.”

     

    President of Advertising Agencies Association India (AAAI), and BARC India Chairman Nakul Chopra said, “I am dismayed to see these incorrect and baseless remarks that have been made with no facts to support them at all. That too against the sanctity of a body set up jointly by the industry in the best interest of all stakeholders. BARC India should in fact be applauded as a shining example of how an entire eco system has come together to create a world class measurement system that is one of its kind. It should be applauded as in these positive and progressive times it provides essential and reliable data that is powering many industries make better decisions towards economic growth.”

     

    Hmmm. Guess BARC should’ve also added a statement from the Bad Losers Society of India. Or the Nutcases Association of New Delhi.

     

     

  • With the release of OOH data, IPL gains an additional 10% viewership

    BARC forays into out-of-home TV viewership

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India has expanded its TV viewership measurement service by launching Out Of Home (OOH) TV viewership measurement. With this, BARC India will now be able to report TV viewership that happens in social hotspots like restaurants, pubs and bars in select cities.

     

    BARC India’s OOH measurement, which captures the growing trend of TV viewing outside homes, is a pre-subscribed service. The current OOH measurement service tracks viewing across 900+ establishments in Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru, using 1500+ meters.Star has been the first network to subscribe to this service for the ongoing Indian Premiere League (IPL).

     

    As per available data, OOH viewing generated a total of 19.4 million Impressions for the first eight IPL matches in the three cities. This, if compared to BARC India’s currency panel in these markets, is an additional 10% viewership, notes a communique. The OOH data is sample study across Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore. If a study was done for other similar cities one could expect to see a comparable lift in viewership.

     

    Said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India: “With our commitment to measure ‘What India Watches’, it was a natural step for us to measure OOH viewing. This is also aligned with our goal of measuring content wherever it plays- irrespective of screen or pipe. Measuring Out Of Home viewing is another initiative towards this objective. The robust technology backbone we have set up allowed us to seamlessly measure out of home viewing. We will continue to offer more such path-breaking services that yields sharper insights to industry.”

     

     

  • An FIR ​was filed in Telangana ​ for panel home infiltration

    BARC ​cracks the whip in Telangana. 5 detained

    By A Correspondent

     

    BARC India ​ has cracked the whip yet again. Its  vigilance team has upped its drive against panel home infiltrators ​ and ​after taking tough action against those involved in panel home manipulation in Karnataka, BARC India has now got a​n FIR filed against culprits in Telangana. Taking note of the serious threat, panel home tampering causes to the TV industry, the state police has also detained those accused, based on the FIR.

     

    “BARC India over the years has taken a number of measures to curb panel home tampering. However, there are still pockets and people, who continue to indulge in such malpractices. We are continuously investing in technology and on-ground vigilance to curb these malpractices. BARC India has and will continue to take action against those who try and infiltrate our system,” said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.

     

    Advertising is a major source of revenue for the TV industry and TV viewership data provided by BARC India acts as the currency for advertisers. Hence some channels use these means to boost their ratings.

     

    BARC India has also set up a Disciplinary Council headed by Justice Mukul Mudgal to strengthen transparency and credibility of its measurement system.  It can be recalled that in Jan 2018, the Karnataka police had arrested those involved in panel home tampering in the region.

     

     

  • According to the ‘Great Place to Work’ certification, BARC India has scored high on both Trust and Culture Index

    BARC India gets ‘Great Place to Work​’​-certified

    ​By A Correspondent​

     

    BARC India has certified as ‘Great Place to Work’ for cultivating a culture of high trust and high performance.

     

    The certification has been provided by Great Place to Work Institute, which is recognized for its rigorous and objective methodology for identifying and defining great workplaces across business, academia and government organi sations. said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India:

    “The fact that BARC India in its 3rd year of its operations has been able to create an environment of happy and motivated workforce is a matter of great pride. In my experience, a great place to work is where the sum is larger than the parts. This is so true for BARC India where we brought and built talent with diverse and varied cultural backgrounds. This was quite a task when there was an absence of skilled and ready workforce​.​”

     

    According to the ‘Great Place to Work’ certification, BARC India has scored high on both Trust and Culture Index.

    Added Manashi Kumar, Chief People Officer, BARC India​:​

    “This definitely is a reflection of the good work that all of us at BARC India have been doing over the last three​ years. At BARC India, we believe in cultivating a culture of ownership and belongingness amongst employees. This has led to high performance and trust. This culture is influenced by the leaders who provide strategic direction to all the employees. I am overwhelmed with this achievement and would like to take the opportunity to thank each BARC Indian for their effort and dedication.”