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Tag: AAAI

  • Govt pushes for adequate representation in BARC

    MUMBAI: Don‘t mistake the alternative television ratings system to be under the total control of the private broadcasters, advertising agencies and the advertisers. The government is pushing for adequate representation inside BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), the new entity that will lay out the television audience measurement system in India.

    BARC has been formed with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) having a 60 per cent stake and the remaining 40 per cent being shared equally between the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).

    Prasar Bharati, the public broadcaster, was to benefit from the formation of BARC as the TV ratings coverage would have spread across wider geographies. Now the government also wants DAVP (Directorate of Advertising and Publicity) , which channelises all advertising spends made by the government, to have some voice.

    In a meeting on 4 September called by the government and attended by the IBF, the AAAI and the ISA members, the government has said that it wanted adequate representation. “The Information and Broadcasting ministry asked us what steps were being taken to include the Prasar Bharati and the DAVP (in BARC).They want adequate representation from Prasar Bharati and DAVP to have adequate representation in BARC to look after the Government‘s interest. We have heard the suggestions and will consider them,” AAAI president and Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent Arvind Sharma told Indiantelevision.com.

    The meeting was chaired by I&B ministry secretary Uday Kumar Verma.

    The three bodies were also asked to nominate an advisory committee on BARC by the end of next week .

    “The push has been to move BARC forward. The secretary has asked us (AAAI, IBF and ISA) to nominate a high powered committee whose role will be to guide and advise (on BARC) by the end of next week. We as BARC need to identify and concur on the names,” said Sharma.

    During the meeting, the secretary also referred to the Amit Mitra Committee report which suggested that statisticians, sociologists and demographers should form part of the technical committee.

  • Govt directs IBF, AAAI & ISA to submit BARC roll-out plan

    NEW DELHI/MUMBAI: The government on Tuesday directed broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies to submit a detailed plan for making Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) functional soon.

    The directive was given by the Secretary in the Information & Broadcasting Ministry Uday Kumar Verma during an hour-long meeting with Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) in New Delhi, convened to give a strong push for BARC.

    “The ministry instructed the constituent members of BARC to submit a time-table outlining the next steps in the roll out of BARC. But the deadline for the submission of this time table has not been given,” said Arvind Sharma, Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) president and Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent.

    I&B Ministry officials said Verma stressed at the meeting that the matter of BARC was gaining importance in view of the New Delhi Television Ltd’s (NDTV) lawsuit in New York against television ratings by TAM Media Research. NDTV has alleged that TAM and its owners Nielsen and WPP subsidiaries Kantar and Cavendish have knowingly failed to act against corruption in TAM’s television ratings system.

    According to the scheme of things, BARC would be an apex entity for measuring television viewership ratings in India. It will appoint and monitor service providers like TAM providing on-ground services for measuring television ratings.

    The secretary also expressed dissatisfaction that the responsibility of setting up BARC was given to IBF but there has been no progress after it was registered in July 2010.

    The ministry officials said IBF president and Star India CEO Uday Shankar gave an assurance to the I&B secretary that “the three bodies have come together now and will speedily set up BARC”.

    When AAAI and ISA were asked about the status of BARC, their representatives said they had approved the articles of association of BARC and it was for IBF to take it forward now. IBF’s Shankar then informed the meeting that the document is yet to be approved by the IBF board and once it is done, IBF will get back to AAAI and ISA at the earliest, according to the officials.

    Apart from AAAI’s Sharma and IBF’s Shankar, among those who attended the meeting were IBF Treasurer and Zee Entertainment Enterprises managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Lodestar UM CEO Shashi Sinha, Draftfcb+Ulka executive director Nagesh Alai, RK Swamy BBDO chairman and MD Sundar K Swamy and Nestle India VP communications Virat Mehta.

    AAAI’s Sharma told Indiantelevision.com that “The meeting was held with specific focus on the progress of BARC. The AAAI and the ISA informed the Secretary that the two bodies have approved and given the Articles of Association to the IBF and are waiting for a revert on the same.”

    Earlier this year, I&B Minister Ambika Soni had told parliament that BARC would be functional soon and its first ratings would be released by July 2013.

  • I&B calls AAAI, ISA for meet on 4 Sept over TV ratings issue

    NEW DELHI: The pressure on TAM Media Research, India‘s sole television ratings provider, is just not easing. The Information & Broadcasting (I&B) Ministry has decided to act in response to the NDTV lawsuit against the corrupt television ratings and the demand by News Broadcasters Association (NBA) for its intervention.

    After reportedly asking television ratings provider TAM Media Research and its 50 per cent owner Nielsen to submit a report on the status of the plans to make the ratings system robust, the ministry has convened a meeting with the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) on Tuesday, 4 September.

    The meeting with AAAI and ISA is being held amid raging controversy over the credibility of television viewership ratings, after NDTV (New Delhi Television Ltd) filed a lawsuit in New York against TAM, its owners Nielsen and WPP and their officials.

    The meeting is also happening in the backdrop of a delay in operationalising the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which is to be jointly set up by Indian Broadcasting Foundation, AAAI and ISA.

    Sources close to the I&B ministry have confirmed to Indiantelevision.com that the meeting has been scheduled on Tuesday.

    According to a media report, the government has given to TAM 10 days and Nielsen two weeks to reply. The report said the government has also sought information from TAM and Nielsen on generation of viewership data from towns with less than 1 lakh of population and from north-east states and Jammu & Kashmir.

    “This has gone too far,” said the CEO of a media agency, suggesting that the meeting is a fallout of the war of words between WPP and NDTV.

    Leo Burnett chairman of India Subcontinent Arvind Sharma declined to talk on the meeting but referring to the media report said, “I can‘t blame the government for being concerned over what all is happening in media. The long term solution is that via the three players – AAAI, ISA and IBF – creation of BARC should be speeded up. One has to understand that there has to be a reliable, transparent medium. What government wants is similar to what we want and there isn‘t any contradiction.”

    Sharma said TAM has been giving AAAI and ISA progress reports since their meeting on 16 August. During the meeting, TAM had outlined a six-point action plan that included appointment of a security officer and a security agency, expansion in the number of homes with peoplemeters in the six top metros, an industry review of the viewership research processes, independent audit of outlier homes, faster rotation of the peoplemeter homes and setting up of an internal audit team.

    Speaking to Indiantelevision.com, Star India CEO Uday Shankar said: “I am glad that I&B Ministry has asked TAM to explain but how do we know that how many boxes are functional? There is no system of public audit. How do we know that the data which is collected has no uncertainty in that?”

    Shankar further said, “TAM is clouded in secrecy and according to me anything that isn‘t transparent and is under secrecy is subject to distortion and corruption.”

  • TAM: Arvind Sharma asks broadcasters to be patient as changes take time

    TAM: Arvind Sharma asks broadcasters to be patient as changes take time

    MUMBAI: Television broadcasters need to have patience as all the stakeholders are taking steps to move to a system of audience measurement acceptable to all, said Advertising Agencies Association India (AAAI) president Arvind Sharma, while speaking exclusively to Indiantelevision.com.

    Sharma’s counsel of patience follows outright rejection by broadcasters of the proposals forwarded by TAM Media Research to fortify its existing television ratings system.

    Sharma is pinning hopes on the proposed Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) becoming operational in the next few weeks. A monitoring team constituted by BARC will then make sure that TAM carries out the commitments it has made.

    AAAI and Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) had a meeting with TAM officials on 16 August during which the television ratings provider outlined a six-point action plan.

    The six steps outlined by TAM include appointment of a security officer and a security agency, expansion in the number of peoplemeters in six top metros, an industry review of the research processes, independent audit of outlier homes, faster rotation of the peoplemeter homes and setting up of an internal audit team.

    AAAI is hoping a meeting of AAAI, ISA and Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) will happen in the next few days to finalise the modalities of setting up and making operational BARC.

    Sharma said, “I completely understand the growing skepticism. It is only action and demonstration of action which will change skeptics into believers in the sense that something is happening.”

    “In real terms what will happen is that we are hoping that BARC will be created within weeks and there will be a team from BARC which will monitor the progress closely,” Sharma added.

    His argument is that unless the industry has the ability to monitor the progress in improving the audience measurement system, any timelines will make no sense.

    Sharma said he hopes a BARC team to monitor audience measurement is put in place pretty soon.

    Asked about how media agencies not present at the meeting on 16 August and those who are not a part of either AAAI or ISA can be taken into confidence, Sharma had this to say: “The Joint Industry Body (JIB) which was supposed to be guiding TAM has not been functional.”

    He said the fact that TAM has specified some definite action steps was in itself a good signal. “The rest will be up to BARC to assess whether the proposed steps are adequate for the short run and make sure that they get implemented.”

    About a decade ago when there were two suppliers of television ratings – INTAM and TAM, each had their own specific number of meters. The industry stakeholders at that time decided to pool in their resources instead of paying money to two agencies and make the study more robust.

    The problem arose when a list of some peoplemeter homes was leaked and then allegations of manipulation of data were made. “So, if a (television) channel wanted to play mischief, it could target three or four peoplemeters homes through extra activations and that would make a huge difference”, Sharma pointed out.

    The JIB, when it was functioning about a decade ago, had laid down a lot of processes and rigorous rules for how the sampling would be done and had also introduced electronic checking,
    validation of data, etc.

    “Associations have to follow their processes. We just have to be a little patient in letting things fall into place. We are definitely moving forward. I am sure of it. The whole point of having associations is to carry members along even though the solutions may take longer to reach,” Sharma said.

    His philosophical view was that people involved ultimately accept the changes even if it takes a little longer.

    Also read:

    TAM proposals fail to enthuse broadcasters

  • NDTV effect: TAM lists 6 action points to plug loopholes

    MUMBAI: TAM, the television ratings provider, has assured the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) that it will work on a six-point action plan to plug loopholes in the system.

    The assurance was given at a meeting ISA and AAAI had with TAM on Thursday, 16 August to obtain facts about the audience measurement system. The meeting was held in the backdrop of broadcaster NDTV‘s suit in the US against TAM and its parents Nielsen and Kantar, claiming the ratings were fudged.

    During the meeting, TAM shared its perspective with ISA and AAAI and outlined the following six key action steps:

    • Appointment of a security officer and a security agency
    • Expansion in number of meters in the existing 6 top metros
    • A review by the industry of research processes that determine what TAM reports in its weekly reports. And what meter homes are left out of reporting for being data outliers
    • Getting the outlier homes independently audited
    • Faster panel rotation
    • An internal audit team to be put in place as soon as possible

    In a joint statement, AAAI president Arvind Sharma and ISA chairman Bharat Patel said, “As key users of audience research data, advertisers and advertising agencies need to know facts directly from the research agency. And if there are challenges at any level in the research, the research agency needs to share its proposed action plan with us.”

    They further said, “We look forward to speedy implementation of the six action steps outlined by TAM. With formation of Broadcast Audience Research Council-BARC on the anvil, it will be appropriate for us to request BARC to review if these steps are adequate.”

  • AAAI to meet TAM and IBF this week

    AAAI to meet TAM and IBF this week

    MUMBAI: With NDTV‘s lawsuit against television ratings provider TAM Media raising concerns among the industry affiliates, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) have decided to meet with senior executives of the television ratings agency on 16 August.

    Speaking to indiantelevision.com AAAI president and Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent Arvind Sharma said: “In the (current) environment where all has been reported about the NDTV-TAM case, we want to understand directly from TAM what the facts are. If there are genuine reasons to be concerned, and we are not prejudging that, ww will have to discus on what action can be taken.”

    Sharma also pointed out that a meeting with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) is planned this week. “We are also trying to get together with the IBF urgently and it hopefully happen this week to discuss the BARC issue,” he added.
    Star India CEO and IBF president Uday Shankar had earlier stated that AAAI and ISA are slowing the progress on BARC. In response, Sharma had said that the two advertising bodies were waiting for the IBF to respond to the draft document (incorporating memorandum and articles of association) sent to the IBF a while back.

    The AAAI, ISA and the IBF are stakeholders in the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). While the IBF holds 60 per cent stake in BARC, AAAI and ISA equally share the remaining 40 per cent.

  • The ball is in the IBF court: AAAI prez Arvind Sharma

    MUMBAI: The ball is in the Indian Broadcasting Foundation‘s (IBF) court and the draft document (incorporating memorandum and articles of association) has been sent to them a while back, the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) president and Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent Arvind Sharma told Indiantelevision.com, while dismissing charges that the body was stalling the progress of BARC for setting up a new television ratings system that would be more transparent and representative of the country‘s socio-economic demographics and geographical spread.

    IBF president and Star India CEO Uday Shankar admitted the draft has reached the IBF. “But they have not signed it. The issue needs to be treated with more urgency,” he said.

    Shankar had earlier blamed the AAAI and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) for slowing down the progress of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

    Sharma said the need of the hour is to move forward and get BARC rolling. “I can understand Uday Shankar’s eagerness to progress on BARC and frustration on why it is taking so much time. But we have not signed because they have not responded,” he replied.

    The government is also pressing for speed and had earlier this year told Parliament that BARC would issue its first report by July 2013, an informal dateline that looks hard to meet. The three stakeholders, IBF, AAAI and ISA, have yet to make BARC operational after announcing in March their equity partnership in the entity. While IBF has 60 per cent stake in BARC, AAAI and ISA hold the balance 40 per cent.

    Nagesh Alai, Interface Communications director and the immediate past president of AAAI, believes that it is in everybody’s interest to move BARC forward.

    “It seems to be a misconception or a miscommunication or a misinterpretation. Whatever it is, the statement is rather unfortunate and unwarranted. AAAI (and its members ), as custodians of the clients’ monies and scientific allocators of these monies over various media, is as interested in a robust and transparent research and research design. We are keen to get it off the ground quickly, as is IBF. The drafts of the MOA and AOA of BARC, incorporating these agreements, had been exchanged with IBF and this is under discussion and process. AAAI has always believed in working in partnership with other industry bodies in mutuality of interest and good business practices and so will it be going forward. It will continue to work with IBF and ISA to get to a good place. Stalling BARC is in no one’s interest,” Alai remarked.

    The recent NDTV lawsuit in New York against TAM Media has also prompted the government to consider a probe into the alleged fudging charges after several complaints from broadcasters.

    NDTV has sought damages of $810 million as compensation for loss in revenues suffered over the years and $580 million for negligence by Nielsen and Kantar officials, the owners of TAM.

    Meanwhile, TAM India has preferred to maintain its silence. “We don‘t comment on any litigation,” is all that TAM’s spokesperson had stated when media reports broke out about NDTV’s lawsuit against TAM and parent company Nielsen. TAM is a joint venture of Nielsen, Kantar and Cavendish Square Holdings B.V.

  • Arvind Sharma is AAAI president

    Arvind Sharma is AAAI president

    MUMBAI: Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) has appointed Leo Burnett chairman and CEO of India subcontinent Arvind Sharma as president for the year 2012-2013 at its Annual General Body Meeting held today.

    Draftfcb+Ulka Advertising executive director and CEO-Mumbai M G Parameswaran has been elected as the vice president.

    Immediate past president, Interface Communications director Nagesh Alai will be the ex-officio member of the new AAAI Executive Committee.

    The other elected members of the executive committee for the ensuing year are Fifth Estate Communications head Ganesh Baliga, Aegis Group chairman India and CEO South East Asia Ashish Bhasin, Publicis Communications South Asia CEO Nakul Chopra, Mogae Group executive director Tanya Goyal, Crayons Advertising chairman Kunal Lalani, Network Advertising MD Vinod Nair, Prem Associates Advertising and Marketing partner Pranav Premnarayen, Matrix Publicities and Media India’s Sridhar Ramasubramanian, Group M South Asia CEO Vikram Sakhuja, Contract Advertising CEO Umesh Shrikhande and RK Swamy BBDO chairman and MD Srinivasan K Swamy.

  • IBF, ISA and AAAI announce launch of BARC

    IBF, ISA and AAAI announce launch of BARC

    MUMBAI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) Wednesday formally announced the official formation of a nationwide audience research joint body, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).

    Indian Broadcasting Federation (IBF) will have 60 per cent stake in the new entity, while ISA and AAAI will equally hold the balance 40 per cent.

    Originally founded in 2008, BARC was earlier to be set up as a joint venture between the IBF and the ISA on a 60:40 ratio and initial investment of Rs 300 million. However, ISA wanted AAAI also to be a part of the joint body.

    The announcement was made at the inaugural day of Ficci Frames 2012 here in presence of I&B Secretary Uday K Varma, Trai chairman Dr JS Sarma, Zee managing director and CEO Punit Goenka, Star India COO Sanjay Gupta, Times Television Network MD and CEO Sunil Lulla, Star CJ CEO Paritosh Joshi, Madison Group chairman Sam Balsara and Landmarc Leisure Corporation MD Paulomi Dhawan.

    Talking about the way forward, Joshi said BARC will be similar to what BARB (Broadcasters’ Audience Research Board) is in the UK. BARC will not conduct audience measurement directly but commission independent specialist research vendors.

    A technical committee is being set up, now that all the stakeholders are in place. The committee will identify the needs and requests for proposal will be invited.

    “We are not a research agency, and we are not going to compete with TAM. Instead, BARC is a joint body, which will evaluate all the research needs of the industry and in a commercially sensible manner,” Joshi said.

    BARC would represent all the clients and address all the issues on a single platform, he added.

    The primary objective of BARC is to conduct and commission market research using appropriate research methodologies, to provide accurate, up to date and relevant findings relating to broadcast audiences, including TV ratings.

    Earlier in the day, Goenka, during his keynote had mentioned that there is nothing wrong in the data provided by TAM, but it is inadequate.

    Joshi said that with the formation of BARC, the quality and scope of TV audience research in the country will get upgraded, the findings will be more robust and financials more transparent.

    “The major challenge will be to cover all the broadcasting modes in the research – terrestrial, cable & satellite, DTH, analogue and digital platforms, developing and new platforms,” he added.

    The Board of the council will have 10 members, six members from the IBF and two members each from the ISA and AAAI.

    BARC will engage in extensive industry consultations with stakeholders, specialist research consultants, existing & potential measurement service providers to identify the key concerns and requirements with regards to audience measurement. This may be followed by an R&D exercise to evaluate potential solutions including technologies & techniques.

    Dhawan said, “We are always looking for robust research in this rapidly changing television landscape. With time, it is going to be more challenging and you will need more insights from research. We have been working together since some time to launch BARC.”

    Added ISA chairman Bharat Patel, “ISA is extremely delighted to be a part of this joint industry body, BARC, along with the IBF and AAAI to provide continued and meaningful research.”

  • Goafest 2012 launches ‘marketing wizards’

    Goafest 2012 launches ‘marketing wizards’

    MUMBAI: Goafest 2012‘s organising committee announced the launch of the programme named ‘marketing wizards‘ for delegates under 30 years belonging to the member companies of the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA).

    Marketing Wizards is an initiative wherein each ISA member can nominate up to two rising stars from their marketing teams under the age of 30 years to experience the highs and thrills of Goafest 2012.

    Goafest 2012 chairman Arvind Sharma said, “This year we are focusing on getting clients to Goafest 2012. We hope to see many more senior marketers and a large contingent of young advertisers at the festival. Marketing Wizards has been created as an initiative to drive young advertisers‘ participation and ensure that everyone is aware of what is in store for them at Goafest 2012. Marketing Wizards will be an ideal platform for marketers to reward their rising stars. Goafest 2012 will not only help them widen their advertising horizons they will also have a great time at the event.”

    ISA chairman Bharat Patel said, “We welcome this initiative from AAAI & Goafest to increase participation of our members and specifically their rising stars. Successful partnerships between advertisers and their advertising agencies are fundamental to success of brands. In many ways, Goafest and the Abbies are a celebration of this success. Equally they are opportunities for our bright young marketers to imbibe and learn. I believe our rising stars will benefit immensely by actively participating in this opportunity. The ‘Marketing Wizards‘ initiative is indeed very attractive and I am sure our members will make the most of it.”

    Goafest 2012 is being organised by AAAI and Ad Club Bombay in partnership for the fifth year and will be held on 20 and 21 April at the Zuri White Sands in South Goa. It will be preceded by an advertising conclave on 19 April. The festival is themed the ‘Magic of ideas.‘