MUMBAI: After three months of operations, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has received the registration for operating as a television rating agency under the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India by the Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry.

With this, the joint industry body has become the only registered television audience measurement system in India.

“We are happy to be the first and only rating company to be registered by the government of India,” told BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta to indiantelevision.com.

It can be recalled that in May this year, the MIB had written a letter to BARC India asking it to stop releasing data until the registration formalities were cleared. Post that, the ratings body worked out a solution with the Ministry and continued rolling out data. 

BARC India launched with week 16 data reporting 10,760 HHs (1L+ C&S) and till week 21 had reported 47,293 Individuals.

Even as BARC India got its registration, TAM Media Research is still awaiting for the approval.  “As per the last update received from MIB officials on TAM’s registration under Policy guidelines dated 16 January, 2014, they informed us that TAM’s registration is under process,” said TAM in an official statement.