Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF), The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) have announced the establishment of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), a Sec 25 company established to commission and oversee the next generation of broadcast audience research in India.
For the last few years there has been considerable debate in various forums, extending even to the Parliament, about the TV audience measurement system, referred to in popular parlance as TRP system. A number of committees were formed, the most recent being the MIB's appointed and Dr. Amit Mitra chaired Committee on TV Audience Measurement. A key recommendation of the Mitra Committee was the establishment of BARC representing the interests of all key stakeholders.
BARC will be established with the three entities, IBF, ISA and AAAI holding 60, 20 and 20 percent of the equity respectively. Correspondingly, a 10 member Board, to be announced soon, will have six, two and two directors each.
Paritosh Joshi, director, IBF Board, said, "I have been involved with BARC for exactly as long as the idea of a joint industry initiative for TV audience measurement has been with us - the last six years. It is therefore particularly gratifying that after this long and arduous journey, with endless twists and turns, we have finally arrived at the long sought destination. I believe this is a transformational moment not just for ratings and audience measurement but for TV in India in general. All of us at IBF feel confident that we have got the formula right and this time it is irrevocable."
"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," added Bharat V Patel, chairman, ISA.
Nagesh Alai, president, AAAI, said, “AAAI has always believed in the best business practices that will drive value for all the stakeholders and the users of television medium. A scientific and rational research methodology is the central thought behind BARC and AAAI is happy to partner IBF and ISA in this endeavor" -
