Tam measurement new data by BARC: DNA article

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BARC set to launch future-ready' TV audience measurement

In sync | Broadcast Audience Research Council data to be released today l Around 3,000 professionals have been trained with BARC India Media Workstation

A correspondent

Mumbai: It's D-Day. Although a final confirmation to this was awaited at the time of writing, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) data

is scheduled to be released today.

TAM, which was until recently subscribed by most broadcasters, still exists, but key stakeholders - television channels, media agencies and advertisers - have now opted for data released by BARC.

The diversity in cultural and media consumption in the country makes the work of the BARC India the most challenging service governed by a single joint industry body for the entire country, said its CEO Partho Dasgupta on the eve of the release of data.

With the number of measured TV-viewing households likely to go up from 20,000 to 50,000 in

four years, the process will become even more complex, he added.

Over 300 channels having ordered for the watermarking technology, and with over 272 channels already live, BARC India's stakeholders - broadcasters, media agencies and advertisers - have got together some of the top vendors from across the globe offering technology and solutions. BARC India has invested 76% of its budget on technology, it is learnt.

According to Dasgupta, around 3,000 professionals have been trained with the BARC India Media Workstation (BMW). NCCS, or the new SEC system, will be the norm to follow for accurate classification and data analytics. The pre-launch and post-launch audit processes were conducted by Ernst and Young's Florida team.

Meanwhile, TAM, a joint venture of Nielsen and WPP-owned Kantar Media, is considering an urban-centric audience measurement service. There have also been rumours that BARC could well either buy over TAM's TV audience measurement facility or turn its sole subscriber. When asked what TAM and he plan to do after BARC data is released, chief executive officer LV Krishnan, who has helmed TAM since 2000, said: "On May 1, I'll still be in business and there is never an end-of-the-road for anything. There will be a new kind of a craft that we will create..."