Page 2 - Barc

BARC appoints Nakul Chopra as CEO

Broadcast Audience Research Council on Friday announced the appointment of Nakul Chopra as its chief executive. Chopra will replace Sunil Lulla, who is leaving the TV audience body to pursue entrepreneurial ambitions, the council said in a statement. He has served as the chairman of BARC in FY19, after being appointed to the board in 2016, the statement said. I am very happy to welcome Nakul as the natural and unanimous choice of the Board for the continuing journey of adding robustness to the BARC currency and strengthening the governance of the world's largest television audience measurement body, BARC's current chairman Punit Goenka said. TV continues to be the definitive screen of the Indian home - its strong reach and connects continue to elicit the trust of advertisers, Chopra said. The resignation of Lulla, who had joined the body in October 2019, succeeding Partho Dasgupta, had come to light on Thursday. During Lulla's term as the chief executive, Mumbai police started a

Arnab Goswami had conspired with BARC CEO to boost Republic TRP: Police

The Mumbai Police cited Whatsapp chats between the duo as a "crucial evidence"

Television advertising resilient in May, volumes rise 64% YoY: BARC data

Marginal dip sequentially; for April and May combined, ad volumes surpass 2019 levels, helped by IPL: BARC data

Despite hit to consumption, TV advertising grows in second wave: BARC

The dent in consumption demand did not deter TV advertisers during the second wave of the pandemic, and the volumes in April and May have grown to go back to being at with the years before pandemic

TV ad volumes rise 39% in Jan-April; coming months likely to be challenging

The trend is in line with what has been visible since the 'unlock' phase began last year, when pent-up demand began pushing up ad volumes on TV

TV ownership sees 7% rise in 2020 amid Covid-19 pandemic, says BARC

Experts said the pandemic and need for entertainment led to the rise in TV ownership

TV-owning households in India grew 6.9% to 210 mln in two years: BARC

The Broadcast Audience Rating Council (BARC) said on Thursday

TV ad volumes in January-February touch five-year high, says BARC

When compared with last year, ad volume growth was 21 per cent, said BARC

Men or women, who owns TV remote? A study busts popular viewership myths

An unreleased study busts popular myths around television viewership

Modi ruled TV in 2020, emerges as most watched personality: BARC report

PM Modi's public addresses regarding the ongoing Covid pandemic, his speeches focussing on a range of issues -- from being at the forefront of exporting vaccines to the ongoing farmer protests

TRP case: Bombay High Court reserves verdict on ex-BARC CEO's bail plea

The Bombay High Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict on the bail plea filed by former BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta, an accused in the TRP scam. During the day's hearing, Mumbai police opposed the bail plea with special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray telling a single bench presided over by Justice PD Naik that Dasgupta was not answering even the simplest of questions while in jail despite being given a questionnaire. He also said Dasgupta was an influential person and could tamper with evidence if let out on bail. "He is the kingpin and the one who holds considerable power," Hiray said, and told HC it was apparent from Dasgupta's WhatsApp chats that he had played a direct role in the manipulation of TRPs for TV news channels. On Monday, Dasgupta's counsel, senior advocate Abad Ponda, had urged HC to grant him bail saying the police had already filed its charge sheet in the case and Dasgupta's custodial interrogation was not required anymore. Ponda had also told HC that .

TRP case: Ex-BARC CEO directly involved, rigged entire system, HC told

Ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta rigged the "entire" TRP system for news channels and also discussed issues of national security with "a certain owner cum news anchor" on Whatsapp, Police told the HC

Eyes and ears of marketing

Media experts point out various flaws in the BARC television rating system. But what they don't point out is that BARC ratings (or the earlier TAM ratings) are not used by advertisers in isolation

Times Network mulls legal action against BARC for rating manipulation

Bennett Coleman & Company Ltd, India's top newspaper publisher and television channel owner, on Monday said it is mulling legal action against BARC over its alleged role in the manipulation of TV ratings. In a statement, BCCL said it is contemplating legal action against Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) over alleged fraud in declaring rival Republic TV as leading in the English News Genre ahead of the group's Times Now news channel. BARC's Forensic Audit of July 2020, as well as the multiple emails and WhatsApp chats of that period, which has been accessed by Mumbai Police, clearly shows that BCCL's Times Now's TRPs were indeed manually reduced by BARC officials. BCCL, a subscriber of viewership data from BARC for its channels, including Times Now operating under Times Network, said the rating agency had "fraudulently declared Republic TV as No 1, even when Times Now was consistently higher" by a large margin. "Due to this unacceptable and unpardonable act of BARC, Times

BARC ex-CEO Dasgupta's condition stable: Mumbai Police tell HC

Broadcast Audience Research Council's former CEO Partho Dasgupta was arrested in an alleged TRP rigging scam

'Arnabgate' undermines the Modi govt's national security narrative

Goswami's source can be prosecuted under Section 5 of the Official Secrets Act for communicating and disclosing secret information, and Goswami for receiving such information and purveying it further

TRP scam case: Times group plans to take legal action against BARC

Former CEO of BARC, Partho Dasgupta is already in jail along with several top executives of Republic TV - which, as per Mumbai police, benefitted due to the TRP manipulation by BARC top officials

The push for pay - now or never

It is time to break the hegemony of advertising over news media; it is time to push for subscription revenues

BARC has a history of ratings pauses, latest being the fourth in six years

First suspension was in April 2015 when those subscribing to television viewership data were asked to switch from TAM, the erstwhile television measurement agency, to BARC

Ratings must remain suspended till BARC addresses concerns: NBA

This comes in the wake of purported WhatsApp conversations between Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami and former Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) head Partho Dasgupta