Nakul Chopra is new BARC India chairman

Nakul Chopra, currently serving as the president of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and senior advisor at Publicis Communications, has been elected as the next chairman of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India. Chopra succeeds Viacom18 Group CEO Sudhanshu Vats.

Chopra will be the third chairman of BARC India. He joined the BARC India Board in September 2016 and since then has been an integral part of the various decisions taken by the board.

"BARC India has been very busy in the past year, as it further consolidated its TV measurement business. 2017 has also been the year when groundwork was done for key future projects, and in the year ahead I am looking forward to oversee their implementation. Top on that list is the rollout of EKAM — our digital measurement products. Expansion of TV sample using Return Path Data will be the other big piece to watch out for. We are all thankful to Sudhanshu for his leadership over the past year and I very much look forward to working closely with Partho and his excellent team over the coming year," said Chopra.

Under chairmanship of Vats, BARC India expanded its sample panel homes from 20,000 to 30,000. The joint industry body also announced its partnership with multi system operator DEN Networks for Return Path Data and announced the digital measurement partner.

"My stint at the helm of BARC has been extremely rewarding. When I look back at what the team has achieved in a matter of just one year, I feel a sense of pride. It's been a pleasure to work with Partho and the team. BARC is a bold, paradigm-changing initiative that has already started to redefine our industry. Since inception, BARC has tackled several challenges while several remain. Going forward, I would urge all stakeholders to continue to take cognizance of the pace of change in our sector and the urgent need for us to adapt. A few years out, the next generation of industry leaders needs to look back and admire our shared legacy. This means creating a future-ready, sustainable organisation with each of us making some concessions for the greater good. At a personal level, I have gained tremendously in terms of a deeper understanding of how data and analytics can transform our operations. There is never a dull day at BARC India. I wish Nakul the very best as he takes on the reins of a hard-working, industry-critical operation in a fast-changing operating landscape. I am sure that BARC India will touch new heights under his leadership." Added Vats.

BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta said, "I am thankful to Sudhanshu for his guidance and support to the team. Our aim has always been to successfully meet the growing and emerging needs of industry. Our focus now is to establish ourselves as an insights company. Nakul in his new role as BARC India Chairman will be a great driving force in launching our Digital measurement products, expanding sample homes via RPD, and launching a suite of new products."