Industry proposes alternative to TAM

The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), an alternative to TAM, the dominant TV audience measurement system, will become operational after numerous hiccups.

The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) have joined hands to form the council.

Under the agreement, IBF will hold 60 per cent share in BARC, while the ISA and AAAI will hold 20 per cent each. So far, AAAI was not part of the rating agency.

BARC will also have a 10-member board, with six members from IBF, two members from ISA and two members from AAAI. It will also appoint a professional team headed by CEO to oversee the request for proposals (RFPs) from clients for television’s broadcast audience measurement.

 

BARC is expected to be operational by July in terms of appointing its board and technical committee.

Paritosh Joshi, CEO, Star C J and one of the persons instrumental in forming BARC, said on the sidelines of Ficci Frames, “This body will issue RFPs and vendors will respond. BARC’s technical committee would evaluate RFPs. It will be a true client-vendor relationship, where the client (TV channel) would have the ability to oversee what is going on and a certain quality in output.”

So far, TAM Media Research enjoyed a near-monopoly in television measurement after rating agency aMap shut down last year. BARC would make it possible for research agencies other than TAM to also be part of the television measurement system in India.

For the last two years, BARC comprised IBF and ISA. In January 2011, a technical committee was set up under Amit Mitra called the MIB TRP Committee. It was suggested that the representatives of the committee be eminent members from different fields of the industry, including AAAI.

"Advertisers are always looking for transparent and robust research and in-depth insights in the rapidly changing television viewership landscape. The ISA is pleased to be part of the Joint Industry Body, BARC which is a major step in this direction ,”said Bharat V. Patel, Chairman, The Indian Society of Advertisers"