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Tag: BARC India

  • BARC India changes ratings terminology to Impressions’000

    BARC India changes ratings terminology to Impressions’000

    MUMBAI: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has renamed its viewership measurement metric – Rat’000 as Impressions’000 with effect from 14 January.

     

    The data for Week 1, 2016 is released and the until now metric – Rat’000s will be referred to as Impressions ‘000s. 

     

    The decision to usher under this new terminology in the New Year has been taken to avoid confusion in the marketplace and as BARC India gears up for its digital measurement initiative.

     

    However, neither does the new terminology imply any change in the way television viewership is measured nor will the introduction of Impressions’000 have any impact on past data BARC India has released so far. 

     

    Commenting on the new terminology, BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta said, “We are preparing for the future. When we get into digital measurement, viewership will be measured in Impressions and in order to maintain uniformity and avoid confusion, we decided to rename Ratings ‘000s to Impressions ‘000s.”

  • Challenges behind setting up BARC India & the way forward

    Challenges behind setting up BARC India & the way forward

    The launch of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India, a joint industry body, in 2015 was one of the biggest developments of the year in the media industry. Its launch was proof that the three stakeholders, namely the broadcasters, advertisers and media agencies could come together and set up a robust and transparent system in the quickest possible time.

    The key to BARC India’s successful rollout was in building a strong team along with top-notch vendor partners who understood our needs. The advantage was that we were able to find the right resources who ensured that the smooth ratings rollout happened within the shortest possible time.

    BARC India was formed with an aim to bring in robustness and transparency to the whole television viewership measurement system. This was achieved by introducing the sector to the new Watermarking technology for measuring TV viewing habits and also using the New Consumer Classification System (NCCS) for understanding the lifestyle of the viewer. The sector now gets a more inclusive and fair representation of  “What India Watches.

    BARC India has been set up at the back of huge expectations from the industry that needed a new TV viewership measurement body, which was representative and robust. This meant that we had to ensure that each and every step by BARC India was being taken in the right direction. It was for this that we decided to make technology our differentiator to give precise and high fidelity ratings. We also opted for a multi-vendor model, instead of a single vendor who could do everything. The reason for this was that we wanted to make the system more robust, high integrity and cost efficient. This has worked in our favour. 

    The other big challenge we faced was funding. We innovated here as well and ensured a smooth financial closure without the stakeholders investing cash in the business. 

    2015 was the year for the launch of a new television viewership measurement system in the country and now in 2016, we will only grow better and bigger. The first in the pipeline is the rollout of the meter management company, which we had announced last year as a JV with TAM India. The year will see the industry using television viewership data on the go with our new BARC India app. The work on Universe Estimation Study has begun and the findings will throw relevant insights on the landscape of television viewership measurement in the country.   

    The year 2016 will see the industry try another innovation christened as VAL-ID (Video Asset Linked ID), which will make life easier for the ecosystem for monitoring and measuring commercials.

    After a fruitful 2015, BARC India is all geared up for a great 2016.

    (These are purely personal views of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India CEO Partho Dasgupta and Indiantelevision.com does not necessarily subscribe to these views.)

  • ETV Telugu emerges as No.1 channel in Telugu genre: BARC week 52

    ETV Telugu emerges as No.1 channel in Telugu genre: BARC week 52

    MUMBAI: In the concluding week of the year 2015, ETV Telugu emerged as the number one channel in the Telugu genre replacing Maa TV in the first position.

     

    On the other hand, Star Jalsha, Bhojpuri Cinema, Colors Kannada, Asianet, Zee Marathi, Sarthak TV and Sun TV continued to dominate their respective genres in week 52, according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) All India ratings.

     

    Bangala GECs

     

    Star Jalsha grabbed the first slot with 265939 (000Sums) followed by Zee Bangla in the second place with 154896 (000Sums) and Jalsha Movies on the third rung with 79222 (000Sums). Zee Bangla Cinema grabbed the fourth berth with 33609 (000Sums), whereas Colors Bangla with 30202 (000Sums) stood at number five.

     

    Bhojpuri GECs

     

    Bhojpuri Cinema led the Bhojpuri genre with 20509 (000Sums) followed by Big Magic Ganga in the number two position with 15521 (000Sums) and Dabangg at number three with 10951 (000Sums). Dangal TV with 7388 (000Sums) and ETV Bihar Jharkhand with 2531(000Sums) grabbed the fourth and fifth slots respectively. 

     

    Kannada GECs

     

    Though Colors Kannada saw a marginal fall in ratings, it continued to lead the Kannada GECs genre and was in the first position with 271592 (000Sums) as against 268806 (000Sums) in week 51. In the second position was Udaya TV with 153369 (000Sums), while Zee Kannada stood in the third position with 143926 (000Sums).
     
    Udaya Movies bagged the fourth position with 141649 (000Sums) and Suvarna stood at number five with 130064 (000Sums).

     

    Malayalam GECs

     

    Witnessing a rise in ratings, Asianet led the genre and came out on top with 327333 (000Sums) against 273833 (000Sums) in last week followed by Mazhavil Manorama in the second position with 120415 (000Sums) and Surya TV in the third spot with 86283 (000Sums). Flower TV grabbed the fourth spot with 83082 (000Sums), whereas Kiran TV stood at the fifth position with 53475 (000Sums).

     

    Marathi GECs

     

    In week 52, Zee Marathi maintained its top position with 184804 (000Sums) with a rise in ratings. Colors Marathi grabbed the second slot with 79672 (000Sums) and Zee Talkies stood at number three with 65794 (000Sums). Star Pravah garnered the fourth slot with 42428 (000Sums) and DD Sayadri was at number five with 20962 (000Sums).

     

    Oriya GECs

     

    Sarthak TV saw a downfall in ratings but secured the leadership position in the genre with 94391 (000Sums) as against 111015 (000Sums) in week 51 followed by Tarang TV in the second spot with 70655 (000Sums). On the other hand, Odisha TV came third with 15537 (000Sums), while Colors Oriya with 14535 (000Sums) grabbed the fourth berth. Prarthana with 9311 (000Sums) stood in the fifth spot.

     

    Tamil GECs

     

    In week 52, Sun TV led the Tamil regional genre but saw a fall in ratings. The channel grabbed pole position with 986826 (000Sums) as against 1042599 (000Sums) in the previous week. In second position was KTV with 317028 (000Sums), while Star Vijay with 213309 (000Sums) stood in the third spot. Polimer grabbed the fourth position with 101129 (000Sums), whereas Kalaignar TV with 83220 (000Sums) grabbed the fifth spot.

     

    Telugu GECs

     

    In week 52, ETV Telugu emerged as the number one channel in the Telugu GEC genre and was perched on the number one position with 446626 (000Sums) followed by Maa TV in the second spot with 377473 (000Sums). Zee Telugu came in third with 350163 (000Sums), while Gemini TV with 313185 (000Sums) bagged fourth place. On the other hand, Gemini Movies with 213079 (000Sums) stood at the fifth position.

  • BARC India’s watermarked channels crosses 400 mark

    BARC India’s watermarked channels crosses 400 mark

    MUMBAI: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has achieved another significant milestone within the very first year of its operations: the subscriber base of TV channels, which have signed up for its Watermarking Technology, has crossed the 400 mark. 

     

    The number now stands at 429 to be precise. If one takes into account the various language feeds of channels, that number actually climbs to 457, as BARC India is watermarking 28 language feeds separately.

     

    BARC India started rolling out viewership data in end-April with 277 channels signing up for its Watermarking Technology: and in the short span of last eight months, it has witnessed a rapid acceleration of broadcasters adopting the technology, which is the starting point for BARC India’s future-proof audience measurement system. 

     

    The technology has been adopted by not just broadcasters with an all-India market, but also by regional broadcasters across the spectrum. Of the 429 channels that have adopted the watermarking technology, 195 are ‘All India’ channels and HSM (Hindi Speaking Market) channels.

     

    A hundred and thirty one channels are from the South comprising markets of Tamil Nadu & Puducherry (42), Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (39), Karnataka (27) and Kerala (23).

     

    Of the other key TV markets in India, 18 channels are of West Bengal and 17 of Maharashtra & Goa.

     

    BARC India contracted Kantar Media’s team (previously part of Civolution) to supply the watermarking technology that underpins the world’s largest audience measurement system.

     

    “We are happy to have partnered with BARC India to deploy our watermarking technology. With so many new ways of distributing and consuming TV and video content, Kantar Media’s solutions enable BARC India to detect content wherever and whenever it’s consumed,” said Kantar Media Watermarking Solutions global director Jean Michel Masson.

     

    “We have been able to cross the 400 channel mark in a short span since our launch. This is an achievement and the team at BARC India has done a great job to achieve this target. I am thankful to Civolution and Cineom for their support and technology,” added BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta.

  • Sony Pictures Networks launches Max HD, targets urban movie buffs

    Sony Pictures Networks launches Max HD, targets urban movie buffs

    MUMBAI: Sony Pictures Networks (SPN) India has launched the High Definition (HD) version of its Hindi movie channel Sony Max. Although the HD channel has arrived admittedly late in the market, the network plans to steer clear of the replica model for most HD avatars to channels, by taking on a completely different brand position – ‘Jee Ke Dekho.’

    Sony Max HD goes on air from 25 December and will be available in a separate HD package with the popular DTH players.

    When queried as to why the network waited so long to launch the channel’s HD feed, Sony Max and Sony Max2 senior executive vice president Neeraj Vyas says, “We were very clear that we didn’t want an HD channel just for the sake of it. We were also waiting for the right kind of content to come along so that we could showcase Hindi movies with a completly new approach and brand message altogether.”

    The other reason for the delay, Vyas reveals was from a technical standpoint. “We have taken at least 120 classic Hindi films like Anand and remastered them for High Definition airing. Who would not want to see these classics remastered digitally for HD in 5.1 Dolbi sound?” he questions, adding that such movies would mostly air on every Saturday on a special programming slot.

    “Apart from the new popular movies, which the audience nevertheless enjoys, we also wanted to expand our purview to give out more holistic content,” he adds.

    With an aim to reach out to Hindi cinema lovers with a cultivated palate for not just the mass entertainers but alternate and critically acclaimed cinema, Max HD has created a special programming slot for quality cinema with a niche following. “The new HD channel will have something called ‘Friday Select,’which will largely air critically acclaimed movies like Paan Singh Tomar, Shahid, City Lights etc. These are brilliant films but do not usually find exposure through normal standard definition channels as they are mostly mass focused,” Vyas explains.

    Vyas also agrees that acquiring licenses for such alternate movies for Max HD will also be relatively cheaper. “They will definitely be cheaper than any Shah Rukh Khan starrer. But primarily, it’s not about a better deal for us, but about setting up the right tone for the channel.”

    Max HD will be targeted at a niche audience and Vyas informs that the varied content is to broaden the appeal of the channel. “Our target audience is clearly SEC AB 18 – 45 years of age. Our target markets are also metros and cities and towns with plus one million population,” Vyas shares.

    Speaking on the advertisers, Vyas says, “Advertisers are excited about Max HD as the channel will offer them a very premium and wider audience.” Currently the channel is in talks with two to three brands. Deals are expected to be signed within a month of launch.

    Having said that, Max HD will not turn away from the mainstream blockbusters audience either. “We will have our Dhooms, Krrish, and PKs as well, while at the same time we will curate a list of alternate cinema for them,” he says.

    When asked as to why the focus is on urban audience when the industry is abuzz with BARC India’s rural inclusive ratings, Vyas simply points out that while the rural audience always existed, High Definition television’s market is still growing, and enjoying a more profitable business in the urban areas. “Within the industry, it has been noted that premium HD channels have recorded ten-fold top line growth according to the 2015 FICCI KPMG report,” he further adds.

    “I expect this channel to run profitably with its subscription and advertisement based revenue models. HD is a growing base and it’s not something I see becoming stagnant. Even at its nascent stage it is at six million homes. That’s a great growth story. If you go by the year’s television sales, 55 per cent have been HD enabled TVs. I think HD is the future. Not to mention, with digitisation coming in place, channels will get more exposure in smaller markets. For digital, it may take some more time due to the space constraint as digital pipe is bigger than the analog,” Vyas explains.

    The network’s effort to make Max HD different from its Standard Definition version will also be seen in the entire packaging. “We have changed the colour palate for our packaging completely to bronze, gold and glitter, whereas Max is essentially reds, blues and greens. So the whole attempt was to set a different tone with Max HD.”

    This can be seen in the several new promos of the channel. With strategic use of popular Hindi cinema dialogues that evoke nostalgia, they successfully capture the moments that make cinema larger than life for us, while highlighting the significance of High Definition feed. In fact, identifying their target audience as social media savvy netizens, the channel has gone ahead with digital first campaign to launch the channel. From contests like ‘Your Jee Ke Dekho Moments’running on their social media platforms, to the promotion videos releasing on 23 December, the build up the HD channel’s launch is mostly digital heavy with some print promotions as well.

  • BARC introduces Alpha Club

    BARC introduces Alpha Club

    MUMBAI: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India plans to roll out all Indian audience measurement data with new monthly communique called Alpha Club.

     

    Alpha Club will offer analysis and insights into NCCS A1, A2, and A3 viewership of six mega cities, by presenting cumulative data of preceding four weeks for Rat’000, Coverage’000, and ATS(Viewer). Channels for which data has been released for all four weeks will be covered. The service is exclusively for BARC India’s subscribers and will be rolled one working day after 4th week’s data is released.

    BARC says that the move is in the pursuit of providing sharper consumer insights and was based on the feedback from its subscribers 

    The first edition of Alpha Club will be sent out to its subscribers on November 17, 2015. The first edition would consist of two sets of analyses: one for data of Week 37-40, and the other for Week 41-44.

  • BARC week 41: Zee Cafe continues to lead English GECs; Colors Infinity enters top 5

    BARC week 41: Zee Cafe continues to lead English GECs; Colors Infinity enters top 5

    MUMBAI: Zee Cafe maintained its leadership position in the English general entertainment channel (GECs) genre in All the India (Urban + Rural) market while Colors Infinity entered in the top five channels of the genre according to Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India data in week 41.

     

    Zee Café in the English GEC led the genre in the first spot with 103 (000Sums) followed by AXN on second slot with 98 (000Sums) and Comedy Central with 92 (000Sums) on the third slot.

     

    Viacom 18’s English GEC Colors Infinity SD and Colors Infinity HD bagged the fourth and fifth berth with 88 (000Sums) and 58 (000Sums) respectively.

     

    In week 40 of BARC India urban data, the top three positions were same. Zee Cafe led the chart with 235 (000Sums) followed by AXN on second slot which scored 126 (000Sums) and Comedy Central on third spot scored 114 (000Sums). 

  • BARC India set to roll out rural data from week 41

    BARC India set to roll out rural data from week 41

    MUMBAI: Indian television ratings measurement body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India will be releasing the much awaited rural viewership data, starting next week (week 41).

     

    The same has received the go ahead from the board members of BARC India. 

     

    With this, BARC India, which currently reports about 55 million households representing cable and satellite (C&S) universe of 1 Lac+, will expand its reach to 153.5 million TV households, representing All India and all modes of signal. Of this, 77.5 million are urban TV households and 76 million are rural TV households.

     

    BARC India, which had recently inked a joint venture with TAM Media to form a meter management company, is working on the dynamics of it and will soon announce its integration plan.

     

    “With the board giving us the go ahead to release the rural data, one will see ‘What India Watches.’ We will be releasing the data starting week 41,” said BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta.

     

    The absence of rural data has greatly irked pubcaster Doordarshan and in the recent past, Prasar Bharati chief executive officer Jahwar Sircar has openly voiced his concerns on the same as DD was not adequately represented in BARC’s urban data. 

     

    Reacting to BARC’s decision to roll out rural data from week 41, Sircar told Indiantelevision.com, “BARC has agreed to release Rural Data from next week, good for all players. I thank BARC.”

     

  • BARC India to provide Indian TV viewership data for international clients through Eurodata TV

    BARC India to provide Indian TV viewership data for international clients through Eurodata TV

    MUMBAI: In a bid offer international clients an in-depth analysis of the Indian television market, BARC India has joined hands with Médiamétrie’s subsidiary company Eurodata TV Worldwide to offer viewership data.

     

    From October, 2015, Eurodata TV Worldwide will integrate the television audiences of BARC India into its services. Eurodata TV covers more than 100 countries and 6,300 channels across five continents.

     

    With this partnership, Eurodata TV will provide daily data for its customers on programming, content and programme audiences in India by target group – producers, distributors, broadcasters, rights managers, sponsors, etc.

     

    The deal will also enrich Eurodata TV’s international programme monitoring service NoTa (News On The Air). 

     

    “Thanks to this agreement, Médiamétrie will offer its international customers a more in-depth analysis of the Indian television market, which is one of the leading markets in the world BARC will be able to benefit from our international sales force and offer the Indian market visibility in five continents,” said Eurodata TV Worldwide executive director Laurent Battais.

     

    BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta added, “There is a lot of demand for Indian audience data globally and this tie-up will satisfy that demand. We are very happy to partner with Eurodata TV as our reseller for the rest of world, which will help us grow in reach and popularity. I am certain that with the immense experience of Eurodata TV the relationship will be mutually beneficial.”

     

    With a population of 1.2 billion comprising 153.5 million television households as on March 2015, India represents a strategic territory for international audiovisual market stakeholders.

  • Rentrak & comScore ink merger deal

    Rentrak & comScore ink merger deal

    MUMBAI: In a bid to give strong competition to Nielsen, which has been the industry leader in ratings measurement since time immemorial, Rentrak Corporation and comScore Inc have entered into a merger agreement. Under the agreement, the two measurement companies will combine in a stock-for-stock merger.

    It may be recalled that closer home in India, television ratings measurement agencies Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India and TAM India also joined hands only last month to form a new JV meter management company.

    Rentrak will merge into a wholly-owned subsidiary of comScore pursuant to the terms of the merger, which has been approved by the Boards of Directors of both companies. Each share of Rentrak will be converted into the right to receive 1.15 shares of comScore. Upon completion of the merger, comScore shareholders are expected to own approximately 66.5 per cent and Rentrak shareholders are expected to own approximately 33.5 per cent of the combined company on a fully diluted basis.

    The deal, which is expected to close early next year, values Rentrak at approximately $827 million. The combined valuation of the two companies is being pegged at $2.4 billion.

    comScore CEO Serge Matta will head the new combined company as CEO, whereas Rentrak vice chairman & CEO Bill Livek will become executive vice chairman & president of the new company.

    On the other hand, Mel Wesley will continue as the CFO and Rentrak’s current COO & CFO David Chemerow will serve as a strategic advisor to the CEO, focused on the successful integration of the two companies.

    The new company will also draw upon the collective talent at both companies to harness the experience and expertise of each organisation to redefine the future of measurement. The combined company’s board will consist of twelve directors – eight from comScore and four from Rentrak.

     

    Strategic Rationale

    By combining comScore and Rentrak’s products, talent and significant information assets, the new company will provide even more robust measurement solutions to the media and advertising industries, following the consumer whenever and wherever content is consumed.

    The combination will enable the company to introduce a more comprehensive and precise set of solutions for measuring media consumption and advertising across platforms, setting the standard for the next generation of cross-platform measurement solutions. Together, comScore’s digital audience and advertising solutions, combined with Rentrak’s census-based worldwide movie and video-on-demand measurement, and its massive and passive TV measurement offerings, will provide a more complete picture of the way people consume media today and in the future. The combined organization is expected to possess a unique breadth of knowledge, experience, expertise, and skill sets that cannot be duplicated, dramatically enhancing the range of capabilities and offerings for clients and the industry.

    “The merger of comScore and Rentrak represents an exciting milestone for our combined clients, uniquely skilled employees and shareholders. Together we have an even more powerful ability to deliver what our clients and the media industry have long been asking for: a comprehensive cross-platform measurement currency that accounts for all the ways in which content is consumed, whether that happens on a desktop, mobile device, live or time-shifted TV, video on demand or through over-the-top devices,” said Matta.
     

    “With the advent of digital technology, the time has come to offer the cross-platform measurement systems of the future: through which content owners will ultimately be able to quantify their entire audience, and agencies will have access to the cross-platform metrics needed to effectively plan and execute campaigns. This merger also recognizes the critical importance of combining digital and TV assets for next generation media measurement, which requires a higher degree of precision at both a national and local market level,” he added.

    “Both companies have been innovators in content and consumer measurement, advanced demographics and analytics, providing the industry with world-class digital, TV and movie consumption information. This merger will accelerate the pace of that innovation, and offer an improved solution for cross-platform measurement, not available anywhere else. Rentrak’s expertise in precisely measuring TV and movies, and comScore’s industry-leading digital measurement capabilities, are natural complements. Combined, our expertise and information assets will enable us to provide the industry with the most granular measurement solutions that reflect the ever-changing way that people are consuming content across platforms,” Livek said.

    “Bill Livek and his team have built a cutting-edge media measurement company that has moved our industry forward in many ways, and we could not be more excited to welcome them to the comScore family. We look forward to working with Bill and his team as we bring our companies together to create the most comprehensive set of measurement solutions available, delivering on our mission of making audiences and advertising more valuable,” said Abraham.

     

    Financial considerations

    comScore expects the transaction to be mildly dilutive to its Non-GAAP EPS in 2016, and accretive in 2017. The combined company is expected to have total synergies of at least $20 million in 2016 and at least $35 million in 2017. The company also anticipates a significant portion of the synergies to be revenue related, which it expects to grow over time with an attractive contribution margin.