MxMIndia

Tag: BARC

  • A lot has changed. Yet nothing much has, writes Sanjeev Kotnala in a beginning-of-the-decade stocktake

    Sanjeev Kotnala: Will The New Decade Be Any Different?

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    By Sanjeev Kotnala

     

    Welcome, 2020. Two decades of the century are over. The next one starts. Will it be different? The industry shifts and changes are like climate change. We know they are happening. However, seeing the real impact takes time.

     

    LOT HAS CHANGED. YET, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. 

    The brands continue to work hard experimenting with new approaches in the era of information. Brands are busy finding an original purpose to create positive perceptions in the consumer’s mind.

    Till date the record is dismal. Most brands with purpose have failed to align the whole organisation with the purpose. The result: they have been unable to deliver the same language across every touchpoint or experience. Many brand purposes are non-strategic and have a short life. The consumer quickly sees through the brand’s opportunistic behaviour. It leads to dissonance. The consumer continues to expect the brands to speak to them in a simple language. Be aligned and in-sync through the experience while delivering the best solution for the covert or overt need.

    Today, information access and placement is easy. And the audience is unable to separate the true from the false. The information available on the internet is questionable. Consumers continue to react with limited or misinterpreted information. In real terms, perception is adulterated with reality.

    The herd mentality is a reality. The audiences tend to hook on to a leader, subject or even information and blindly follow it. There is a churn within the influencers. They are being questioned for their impact and intent. The consumer is no longer sure if they can trust the peer and consumer reviews, which are simply polarised. The review industry is course-correcting by making them more genuine sounding.

    The product margin continues to drop, and service expectations continue to rise. The efficiency of templated SOP continues to be tweaked. The products and services keep getting threatened with new technology and business models.

     

    CMO AND AGENCIES.

    The fight between Traditional and Digital continues. Agencies, CMOs and Media owners continue to have a non-polarised point-of-view.

    The life of a CMO is getting more marginalised. The CMO’s tenure is further shortened by complexities of the environment and misplaced expectations. The CMO’s vision has been narrowed down from annual to QSQT and in many places restricted to the next project or the next month. Some CMOs gamble with bold, innovative experimentative consumer connect, some remain risk-averse. No one knows what the best practice is.

    Innovation and insight continue to be mismanaged and ill-defined. Communication and Marketing seem to be teamwork run by the idea and budget dictators. People fail to understand that marketing is not always about what you are doing but equally important is what you sacrifice, what you decide not to do.

     

    INDUSTRY AND INDUSTRY ASSOCIATIONS.

    The role of the agencies and advertising business continues to evolve and redesigned under newer threats. The blame game continues. Neither is the idea plagiarism dead, nor is the idea shopping.

    ASCI seem to be gaining strength. Ad Club and AAAI continue on a template path. Regional Ad Clubs keep to their turf. IAA keeps surprising with multiple high impact programmes. The media covering the advertising and marketing industry keeps finding enough content to fill spaces.

    The awards, across media, business and creativity, keep multiplying. The issue of scam advertising remains unresolved. There is no unanimous celebration of excellence. The new breed only complains, and most remains uninterested in taking a position of responsibility within Industry associations. The camps within the industry keep their amniotic behaviour.

     

    SOCIAL MEDIA

    People who sold their privacy to the devil we know as social media now want protection. They still continue to take on apps and services, carelessly signing un-read contracts and saying ‘I Agree’. The charm of free-of-cost service or membership to a loyalty circus continues to come at a hidden cost. The trap is already shut.

    The social platforms are unable to secure user data. Everything is threatened and watched. The CCTV cameras that give you a false sense of security and confidence comes at the cost of privacy at private and public places.

    The trolls continue to troll and cribbers continue to crib. The audience remains confused.

     

    POLARISATION CONTINUES TO CAST ITS SHADOW.

    The grey between the black and white is slowly but surely getting erased. The need to take a polarised stance is forcing people to make comments and statements they may later regret. There is a cost associated with all this, but that can wait.

     

    EVOLVING MEDIA.

    The traditional media keeps on fighting for its share of the pie. New OTT platforms continue to surprise and entertain. The discount model at e-commerce continues in its aim to get the loyalty of buyers. The digital media continues to be under a cloud of non-transparency and issues that no one has any solutions. The measurement matrices keep getting finer but remain under scrutiny. New buzzwords are coming and exiting faster than winter fashion.

    Arnab Goswami continues to make up his mind and be the judge in his debates. Every channel on the set-top-box breaks breaking news. Newspapers try holding to their credibility and trust. Digital still gets quotes as emerging and new media. Entertainment TV keeps dishing the similar content of Saas-Bahu, Naagin, reality shows and contests.

    BARC keeps evolving and promising new edge data and insights. IRS continues to walk on the edge, trying to find balance by keeping everyone happy. It continually improves the research methodology and implementation. Yet, they failed to promise a date calendar for the release. The industry willing accepts it.

    Radio and OOH is lost in the way keep chugging without any real measurement matrices. Big players try surrogate measurement, but a syndicated study remains elusive.

     

    EVOLVING AUDIENCE.

    The new digital native population is questioning education. There is a muted response to national pride, its rich history and culture. Consumers are talking heath, patriotism and social issues. They find fault with everything they experience. The voice is of crib and disappointment is overpowering the limited view of appreciation and joys. The politicians are busy serving the vote bank policy. The parliamentarians keep abstaining from essential debates. The will of the voters is crushed under political alliance and greed.

     

    STRAINED SOCIAL FABRIC.

    Women empowerment continues to remains on the agenda. There is no social revolution, but only strategic trending hashtags. Safety of women continues to come under strict ‘Terms and conditions apply’.

    Regionalism, languages and religionist keep fragmenting the nation. Law and order remain an issue. The economy remains questionable, and frauds keep happening. The protectors of law and order are threatened to the extent they need protection.

     

    TECHNOLOGY

    Big Data remains under a cloud of mystery. Agencies are doing a lot of work in this area. Digital remains the centre of attraction and the new toy and tool for the industry. Bitcoins keep finding new buyers. Blockchain promises a few solutions. AR and VR wait for full exploitation continues. Research and research methodologies are argued while the sample sizes keep shrinking with the rising cost. Intrinsic research continues to wait for scaling up.

    It is becoming easier to create a TVC or DVC. The creative dependent on edit and effect machines for changes, corrections and enhancement. Everything seems possible. The distances are being curbed, but the value of face-to-face interaction remains unchallenged.

     

    WILL THERE NEVER BE A CHANGE?

    No, it will be wrong to say the change has not happened. Like everyone else, the industry cannot afford to not-be-impacted with the changes happening in its surrounding business and social environment. Yet, the difference is unrecognisable.

    There is a hope and a firm belief that in the new era, we might see more changes that we will immediately identify. They will be more innovative and disruptive. Their impact will be sharper and more pronounced.

    People may take a stance only after knowing the fact. They may be equally gracious in appreciations as aggressive they are in their complaints. People may finally use their judgement and share or forward things only after deliberation. People definitely will be more inclusive in their opinion and lives. However, whatever you may do, the WhatsApp group will time to time surprise you with your popularity and the size of your well-wishers. They will be full of wishes, motivational quotes and season greetings.

     

    CHANGE STARTS WITH SELF.

    There is no point in continuing the discussion. Each one of us in the position of responsibility and accountability must take a stance and correct our behaviour. Things will change, and I believe they will. And by the next year, this may be seen as total gibberish.

     

     

    Sanjeev Kotnala is a senior marketing and strategy advisor and educator. He writes for MxMIndia every Wednesday. His views here are personal

     

  • Once in a while we throw in questions like these only to catch him off-guard and get something controversial. But Dr Bhaskar Das is a pro at these, and has offered us a response which we guess everyone will offer. Without much ado, presenting today’s Q&A in Das Ka Dum. Read on…

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Sunil Lulla, your former colleague at the Times of India group, has recently taken charge as CEO of  BARC. Your top expectations from the new BARC big boss?

    Once in a while we throw in questions like these only to catch him off-guard and get something controversial. But Dr Bhaskar Das is a pro at these, and has offered us a response which we guess everyone will offer. Without much ado, presenting Das Ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. Read on…

     

    If you wish to access the archives, please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar.

     

    Q. Sunil Lulla, your former colleague at the Times of India group, has recently taken charge as CEO of  BARC. As someone who has always believed in measurement and obviously track BARC ratings week-on-week, your top expectations from the new BARC big boss

     

    A. I have no expectation beyond the continuance of the robustness of BARC as an industry currency and decision support tool. But what really matters is the industry’s expectations supported via collaboration and calibration in sync with the new dynamics of the corporates. Sunil is a thoroughbred professional and the industry has nominated him for the role for that. I am confident that the BARC team under Sunil’s able stewardship would continue the tradition of great work.

     

     

  • Partho Dasgupta, Chief Executive Officer of BARC India, has announced his plans to relinquish his position and move on. Industry veteran Sunil Lulla has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of BARC

    Partho Dasgupta quits BARC. Sunil Lulla is new CEO

    By A Correspondent

    Partho Dasgupta
    Sunil Lulla

    Partho Dasgupta, Chief Executive Officer of BARC India, has announced his plans to relinquish his position and move on. Industry veteran Sunil Lulla has been appointed as Chief Executive Officer of BARC.

    Said Dasgupta: “It has been a tremendous journey to setup the worlds largest Audience Measurement Company with the least investment and in the quickest time. Having set it up, expanding the panel and introducing new insight products for News, Sports, Music and OOH genres, I thought it’s time to move on and do new things. I have enjoyed setting up new businesses and brands and turning them around both in media and consumer space and its time to explore new domains”. He added “I would like to thank Board members and Techcomm members, specially Punit and Shashi for the tremendous support and guidance.”

    Added Lulla: “I am delighted to lead BARC as its grows its footprint, in coverage, scope and services, in the fast growing and rapidly evolving TV and Digital Industry. Things are changing fast and Audience measurement has to keep pace with all these. I thank Partho for bringing the company to where it is and wish him a great time ahead”.

    Said Punit Goenka, Chairman BARC India: “I welcome Sunil to BARC. He has been a board member before and is familiar. I would also like to thank Partho for steering BARC through tough times, building a great team and establishing the technology architecture that BARC is proud of. Winner of several awards, BARC India is now considered a benchmark by the global measurement community. We wish him the best for his career ahead”. Speaking on the transition, Punit added “Partho and Sunil are working with the teams for a smooth transition in the weeks to come.”

  • Current process is fair, accurate and unbiased and should be continued, notes report

    Oversight committee okays BARC policy on data validation & outliers

    By A Correspondent

    In June 2019, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India had appointed an oversight committee to review its data validation and outlier policy which identifies and eliminates outliers including reach outliers. The two-member committee led by former BARC chairman Nakul Chopra and media research veteran Praveen Tripathi has successfully submitted its report to the BARC India board.

    The committee has stated that the current process is accurate and unbiased and recommended BARC India to continue to follow the process as it is. Notes a communique: “According to the committee, there is no manual intervention in the process for treating outliers. The entire process is driven by robust algorithms and rules which makes the process unbiased. This is applied to all channels in a fair manner which in return helps BARC India give transparent and reliable data to its subscribers. Over the last 4 years this process has been enhanced and made more robust. New learnings and increased automation has been incorporated with every change. The committee is also working closely with BARC India to further automate the identification and treatment of landing page.”

    The committee also recommended that BARC India should appoint a permanent oversight committee which acts independently from a maker-checker standpoint. The Board is reviewing the report and will decide on a concrete plan in the near future.

    Said Punit Goenka, Chairman, BARC India: “The oversight committee has successfully submitted its report which should reinforce the faith of industry in the process. We have always ensured the fairness and transparency of all our processes and are proud that the findings of the committee re-affirm the same. We will continue working with the oversight committee and Industry members to improve the measurement standards.”

  • Presenting Week 2, Day 5 of of Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. And do come back tomorrow for another question and another answer

    Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das: Can one trust audience measurement data?

    It’s going viral. Each Q&A we hear is firing up the Whatsapp and mail circuit. People have been laughing, screaming out incorrigible reading a response… but there’s no denying that each question-and-answer is profound and funny. Presenting Das ka Dum with Dr Bhaskar Das. And do come back next week for another round of questions and answers.

     

    Please go to the Das Ka Dum tab on the website’s top navigation bar, to visit the archives of Q&As.

     

    Q. Can one trust audience measurement data?

     

    A. I am a strong advocate of data-based insights to complement decision-making processes. So any measurement data can at best be indicative and should be leveraged for directional purposes. Doubting the credibility of measurement data isn’t a constructive route to move towards an augmented intelligence.

     

  • 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 TDSAT ruling landing and BARC’s compliance has sent shockwaves in the industry. A quick view

    Landing Blues for some Broadcasters

     

    By A Correspondent

    In the past, whenever the issue of Landing Pages and Dual LCNs has been raised, MxMIndia has been of the view that both are legitimate marketing practices. It’s like a supermarket. A new detergent powder make take rack space upfront and across the shop to gain the attention of consumers. It may also take rackspace where other detergent brands are placed. And it may also take space where fabrics and readymades are being sold.

     

    You don’t think there’s anything wrong with all of this when it concerns products at a supermarket. You also don’t think twice when the new product takes some 200 outdoor sites to promote itself.

     

    The company has the money, it wants to invest in promotional activity (or blow it up, as many may see it) and reap rewards. Fair activity, right?

     

    So what’s wrong if the same is done in broadcast? It’s been done openly and clandestinely for a while. But when a broadcaster indulges in it, others rubbish it and even tell the gullible in the trade media and various others that it’s an inorganic (and hence incorrect) way of boosting salience.

     

    MxMIndia has not fallen prey to carrying these assertions of various players. Very few broadcasters, we are told, do not deploy this marketing strategy. Simply, put, sab ‘doodh’ mein dhule hue hain. Adulterated doodh, is how one news channel official called it.

     

    For a while, telecom and broadcast regulator TRAI has looked down upon landing and Dual LCN as a near-illegitimate activity. Broadcasters who are paying for viewership are indulging in an unfair trade practice, is the refrain, though not in so many words.

     

    Obviously, not everyone was happy with this view of TRAI. Prudish and regressive, it was being called.

     

    Last week, TDSAT, the law-makers of the telecom and broadcast world, decided – post a filing by a broadcast network – that TRAI’s diktat was incorrect. And also that the landing page signals can carry the watermarking to facilitate measurement by BARC.

     

    Now, here’s where the trouble started. BARC, which in most cases takes slow, steady and considered decisions on everything rushed into implementing the TDSAT ruling. Result: starting Week 22 (that’s the ratings released yesterday, June 6), the viewership includes those boosted by landing and whatever else.

     

    According to information received, BARC officials were not called in for the TDSAT hearings, which we think is unfortunate as the all-important perspective of a joint industry body could have been heard. BARC is a joint industry body, though owned 60 per cent by broadcasters, and there are some who believe that a section of powerful broadcast ecosystem biggies could have gotten BARC to act so swiftly.

     

    Broadcasters who this writer spoke with are up in arms with BARC and are planning to not just challenge the TDSAT ruling, but are also mulling to take BARC to court and question its action.

     

    Landing and Dual LCN may be legitimate marketing activity, but the channels aired on landing and Dual LCN should not be watermarked is the belief. Alternatively, BARC must report these separately. The rationale: let a marketing activity be left for marketing and promotions. Viewership of a channel that’s viewed for marketing should not be counted in the viewership.

     

    Also, the view is that cable operators/MSOs/DTH players who allow for ‘landing’ must ensure that a viewer/subscriber should be able to switch a channel instantly.

     

    In the forefront of this anti-landing page ruling and BARC auto-compliance is a powerful lobby from amongst news broadcasters.

     

    And until things change, the ecosystem is going to be fuelled by truckloads of monies. Paisa feko, viewership badhao.

     

    There is never a dull moment in the Indian media. Including for those tracking it.

  • It’ll be a week since Prakash Javadekar was allotted the I&B portfolio. Here’s our wishlist for the minister

    A Wishlist for the New I&B Mantri

     

    By A Correspondent

     

    We know that Information and Broadcasting is not only the ministry Union Minister Prakash Javadekar is going to be overseeing. The all-important, future-critical environment ministry is also something that the Pune politician is going to be concentrating on. And given the challenges that prevail on the environmental front as India races towards an infrastructure upgrade, clearly I&B will be Javadekar would do well to ensure the ministry runs on an auto-pilot.

     

    The minister is affable, even as he conscientiously follows the party line on all issues. He is friendly with the media, but that’s about it… we know how much the media – especially the part dealing with news – is truly independent.

     

    But there are many things we expect the new minister to do (and not do):

    1. Ensure minimum government intervention: The MIB should have minimal role in the functioning of MIB. It must monitor the role of the TRAI in broadcast and digital. Empower industry associations to take decisions, and if necessary have a body like TRAI to ensure these things happen. Just that. The TRAI shouldn’t be issuing diktats to the industry.

     

    2. Ensure self-regulation proliferates: And in order to be able to do that the government must ensure that all those who wish to take advantage of its largesse (DAVP ads), must be active participants in the self-regulation process

     

    3. Stay away from measurement: The MIB and the TRAI are actively engaged in television viewership measurement. Thankfully, for all players, not in print, radio, digital and outdoor measurement. The government must have no role in BARC, MRUC, RAM etc etc. These are funded by industry, and the forces within each trade will ensure that the measurement agency (and currency) performs.

     

    4. Allow news on FM Radio: This is an old demand that we have tried to impress upon every I&B minister. Insisting that private FM players can only air All India Radio news is pointless. If the government really wants Radio to grow, it must allow news on FM Radio. Let self-regulation and industry associations ensure that quality is ensured and national security isn’t compromised. If it’s okay to have news on TV, print and digital, why not Radio?

     

    5. Minimal controls on OTT: puhleez. OTT is set to grow exponentially and we hear that the government is planning to set rules on the content that will play on the platforms. If that happens, it would be unfortunate, and meaningless because there are enough and more ways to access content. Adequate viewing advisories should be enough, we think.

     

    6. Level and Just Taxes: The industry has been pushing for some relaxations on the GST front. This applies to advertising and the various media and entertainment entities. Minister Javadekar would do well to ensure a level and just playing field for everyone.

     

    7. Continuity: Can we have one single I&B Minister for the next five years, or at lease 2.5 years. Wishful thinking?

     

  • We bring you numbers supplied by BARC on viewership of English & Hindi news channels on Counting Week and specifically around the Exit Polls and on Counting Day

    How India Watched on Counting Day

     

    image above and date sheets below courtesy BARC India

    By A Correspondent

    The viewership numbers for the all-important Counting Day week, and the Counting Day specifically came in yesterday (Thu, May 30) from BARC, and responding to an MxMIndia request for a special slice on Counting Day, BARC supplies us with the following data sheets:

     

    Note: P4W Avg points to the average of the previous four weeks, and in the charts below G/D refers to Growth or Decrease. It may also be noted that Aaj Tak, ABP News and India TV were ranked #1, #2 and #10 respectively across the entire universe of satellite television channels measured by BARC… the GECs included

     

     

     

     

     

    It may be noted that these refer to all India numbers. Some channels have been slicing data further. India Today TV has been quoting numbers for the six megacities as against all-India with the reasoning it’s the big cities which matter to advertisers. There have also been reports of landing pages, Dual LCNs and channels airing the space occupied by their group channels to increase numbers.

  • 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.”

     

     

  • 3-city series to help marketers ‘ACT’ on Brand Safety

    MMA to address ad fraud issue via roadshows (+MxM View)

    By A Correspondent

     

    The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) in India, has announced the launch of three-city roadshow series on ad fraud across New Delhi, Bengaluru and Mumbai. Beginning with the first roadshow on March 13 in Delhi, the series will then move to Bengaluru on March 27 and conclude on April 18 in Mumbai.

     

    Said Moneka Khurana, Country Head, MMA India: “As per the MMA India Ad Fraud Survey conducted, the top two challenges faced by marketers in mobile advertising are mobile ad fraud and brand safety. MMA is enabling marketers with the required knowhow and expertise through the roadshows to learn about brand safety and Assess, Combat and Track Ad Fraud which is slated to rise by 40 per cent in 2019 and is continuously leading to huge losses in marketing dollars spent.”

     

    As a part of the Brand Safety Council at MMA India, Partho Dasgupta, CEO BARC, said: “Ad fraud is a battlefield. MMA’s roadshow brings together all stakeholders of the business who will discuss the nuances of app-based performance marketing while highlighting the changing fraud detection landscape of India. Such a platform benefits everyone.”

     

    Added Vikas Agnihotri, Country Director – Sales, Google India, MMA India Brand Safety Council member: “In order for the free web to work, it needs to be a safe and effective place to learn, create and advertise. That’s why for several years, we’ve invested in technology, policies and talent to help fight issues like ad fraud, malware and content scammers. It is important for us to come together and work towards ensuring safeguards across the marketing ecosystem.”

     

    MxM View: While the platforms (Google, Facebook & Co) will obviously patronise practices to cleanse the system, it’s critical for advertisers (and marketers) to also agree to the rules of the game. Will they? And if they err, will the platforms expose their big-spending benefactors?

     

     

  • As per unverified claims, Aaj Tak raced past Hindi general entertainment channels and Republic Bharat was third in the pecking order during the crucial four-day period dominated by the airstrike by India

    In airstrike week, Aaj Tak touches new high, Republic Bharat turns #3. Note claims not verified by BARC or by us

    By Our Research Editor

     

    We must say at the outset, that these are unverified claims. Measurement body BARC doesn’t share data with media or even verify it as it normally does because the data is said to be unstable. So while it is issued to subscribers, despite TRAI’s diktat, it’s not given to the media. Yes, BARC (and hence its three stakeholders) have (thereby) shown TRAI the finger. We learn that BARC subscribers have been urged not to use the data in advertising etc, but then that hasn’t happened.

     

    So, we at MxMIndia are in a fix. Do we not publish these claims because they aren’t verified? Or do we trust the channels/ networks and publish and care a damn about our own credibility? After all readers repose trust us – that whatever we publish is – at least to the best of our belief – is correct. Now the piece of information – or should we say pieces of information do appear to be correct, but they’ve not been verified. And hence they are not to best of our knowledge.

     

    So here’s what: as for Aaj Tak and its claim, it’s not much of rocket science. The Airstrike, News and possibly not a primetime soap, is what the world was turning to. People were keen on following up on a different set of Khatron Ke Khiladi. You get the drift. Also, in the past, Aaj Tak has scaled similar highs and outpaced even the GECs.

     

    As for Republic Bharat, the communique that has reached us is without any attribution (except to BARC), but then we saw a Facebook post with a quote from Arnab Goswami. As also a mailer which had his statement. Now we trust Goswami, and we are certain that he will not make incorrect claims. Oh, yes, we do trust Goswami, though we do have some reservations about the brand of journalism on (and of) his channel.

     

    So we are carrying this report, but please do note, it’s not something we have verified. So why are we carrying it, one may ask. Well, we didn’t carry a report on Republic Bharat’s numbers last week. But this week, the news releases are about achieving a milestone and deserve a mention. Why let these two channels suffer because of the inefficiencies in the system!

    Also, we did check on numbers with another subscriber who obviously wanted to stay anonymous.

     

    So after the foreplay, if you still have the desire to know more:

    Aaj Tak has claimed that it has broken news viewership records in Week 9 of 2019, banking on BARC India’s viewership data released to its subscribers. While the channel was No. 3 across the television universe, it raced past Hindi general entertainment channels during the crucial four-day period dominated by the airstrike by India, the dog fight of Indian and Pakistani jets, news about Abhinandan’s release and the day he was set free. [Source: BARC, TG:15+, Market: HSM, Period:wk-09’19,Gross Impression in 000s].

     

    Channel Wk-09’19 Channel last 4 Days
    Zee Anmol 6,18,402 Aaj Tak 3,69,029
    STAR Plus 4,65,102 Zee Anmol 3,08,004
    Aaj Tak 4,62,693 STAR Plus 2,73,851

     

    Among news channels, Aaj Tak garnered more than 40 per cent higher viewership as compared to the next Hindi news channel in Week 9. This margin was 47 per cent during the last four days.

     

    In the case of Republic Bharat, the channel has reported a 13 crore reach and hence entered the Top 3 bracket of Hindi news channels.

     

    In the week In question, there was an increase in the impressions by 55% i.e. from 141.68 Mn (third week) to 219.34 Mn.  The timespent on Republic Bharat has increased from 18:21 minutes (third week) per viewer to 22:30 minutes due to its vast expanse of exclusives fired on a day-on-day basis. R.Bharat witnessed a double digit growth in the HSM market making it the fastest growing Hindi news channel.