MUMBAI: Industry led TV ratings measurement body BARC India has shed some more light on its operational format.

The biggest question that has been answered is that of reporting frequency. In an official communication, BARC India has said that the frequency of reporting is likely to be weekly except for certain data types for which it might aggregate the data by period, time band or geography.

It also says that since currently the number of households with multiple TV sets is low, it won’t be reporting this number separately but will still measure multiple TVs wherever it may be in sample households. At the same time it is aiming at releasing viewership data and adex data simultaneously.

The upcoming ratings agency also claims to be future ready by having the technology that will allow it to report even time shift viewing from the first day.
 

Addressing the concern about broadcasters switching off watermark, it says that such a step is not in the interest of the broadcaster. ‘But like any technology, such eventualities could happen due to various reasons. To arrest these instances stringent processes with escalation matrix across watermark monitoring agency, broadcaster and BARC India are in place. They will highlight even if a small bit of content is not watermarked,’ it says in the communiqué. This will dissuade media agencies from buying the channel, forcing the broadcaster to correct this.

A stringent monitoring process is on the cards. BARC India is looking at appointing a senior police official for heading vigilance. But it says that the data collection format and technology that it uses makes it highly unlikely for tampering.

Watermarking technology can also support capturing cable TV channels and if MSOs want their channels to be measured, they can invest in the embedding technology. However, no MSO biases would be considered for sampling as the panel would be a reflection of what people watch.

For its extensive and advanced technology, it is looking at an ingenuous pricing model that will make affordable data available to the last mile.