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Tag: BARC

  • ISL 20-21 opening week clocks 8% growth in viewing minutes

    ISL 20-21 opening week clocks 8% growth in viewing minutes

    NEW DELHI: The craze for football is getting bigger and bigger in India with every passing edition of Hero ISL. This year, the championship is into its seventh season and is the first major sporting league playing in the country since the pandemic started.

    Hero ISL returned on 20 November in a new 11 team avatar, raising the competition a notch higher. The live action is telecast and live streamed in 82 territories across the world through five partners across TV and digital platforms.

    Official broadcasting partner Star Network is exclusively bringing ISL matches in India on Star Sports 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 2 SD & HD (English); Star Sports Hindi 1 SD & HD, Star Sports 3, Star Gold 2 (Hindi), Asianet Plus, Asianet Movies (Malayalam); Star Sports Bangla; Star Sports Kannada; Star Sports Tamil; Star Sports Telugu and Star Sports Marathi. Online streaming will be available on Disney+ Hotstar VIP and JioTV.  

    In the latest, Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has stated that the opening week of ISL clocked eight per cent more viewing minutes in comparison to last year. In 2019, ISL garnered 3.16 billion minutes while in 2020, it garnered 3.42 billion minutes.

     

     

    Another report from the broadcaster also noted that the tournament clocked a 16 per cent spike in viewership in the opening week (first eight matches), as compared to the previous season. The growth is universally seen across markets – HSM 18 per cent, south 14 per cent.

    Not to mention that the highly-anticipated Kolkata Derby between SC East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan on 27 November recorded the highest viewership for the legendary rivalry match.

    The matches are taking place in a closed door setup and several technological innovations have been introduced to ensure a higher engagement with the audiences.

    "We are thrilled to deliver a blockbuster opening week of the ISL 2020-21. After a successful IPL 2020, we laid emphasis on an enhanced viewing experience for football by stressing on product innovations, improved story-telling, and fan engagement. We hope to maintain the momentum and build on the gains in viewership in Week 1. ISL 2020-21 has also set the precedence for other sporting events to resume in India by following the highest safety standards," Star India sports head Sanjog Gupta had said in an official release.

    Some of the sponsors for this year include Hero MotoCorp, Byju’s, Dream11, Himalaya Drug, Apollo Tyres, Nivea and others. 

  • Ad volumes for auto sector witnessed 36% growth during festive season in 2020: BARC

    Ad volumes for auto sector witnessed 36% growth during festive season in 2020: BARC

    New Delhi: Every product category has been hit in 2020 by the pandemic and lockdowns. The sales for most of these product, categories got impacted as people were restricted to their homes and were reluctant in spending money even after the lockdowns were over.

    Initially, the advertising volumes of many such categories was also hit but soon it started reviving as marketing heads realised that it is not the time to stop but to be even more aggressive if they wanted to make the best out of this year.

    Automobile is one such category that was affected. Most brands did not make a sale of a single unit in the lockdown period (excluding exports). However, once the lockdown was lifted, the brands started opening up their showrooms and retail experience centers and started inviting customers to come and sample their product.

    Initially, the response of audiences was slow but digital marketing came to the rescue as many of these brands created a virtual experience of their product and created enough content around it for the customer to research and find information that he/she was looking for.

     

     

    Slowly, the customers also started returning to the retail centers. And, if we go by the festive season reports, the sales for several of two-wheeler and four-wheeler brands have increased. These reports have induced a lot of positivity in the industry and a lot of it has also come from the massive advertising campaigns taken by the brands across national and regional channels.

    Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has released a report comparing the ad volumes and share of the automobile industry for 2019 and 2020 between 1 Oct and 27 Nov (festive season).

     

     

    The report states that the ad volumes for the automobile sector have grown by 36 per cent in 2020. In 2019, the total advertising done during this period was around 9.3 million seconds which grew to 12.6 million seconds in 2020.

    Also, the ad volumes for four-wheelers have increased by two times. In 2019, there were approximately 2.39 million seconds of advertising while in 2020, there have been more than 5.86 million seconds of advertising. The ad volume share has also increased from 26 per cent to 46 per cent in the last year.

     It will be interesting to see if the industry can carry forward this momentum and continue selling the products.

  • There will be a ‘Mahabharat’ between TV & OTT: BARC’s Sunil Lulla

    There will be a ‘Mahabharat’ between TV & OTT: BARC’s Sunil Lulla

    MUMBAI: BARC India CEO Sunil Lulla is in a unique position, being at the helm of a body which is the only industry currency for the 3.5-billion-dollar television advertising market. Needless to say, it comes with a lot of responsibility.

    Lulla brings over 35 years of significant leadership and domain proven knowledge, with ground-up experience in growing brands and building businesses. Having worked across media, brands and advertising, he has occupied leadership roles at MTV, Sony, Times Television Network, SaReGaMa, Diageo, Indya.com, GREY group, JWT and Balaji Telefilms. Sunil maintains active interests in serving industry interests to foster the spirit of self-regulation and collaboration. He is an active long-distance runner, enjoys sailing and evocative conversations.

    During an interaction with Governance Now’s Kailashnath Adhikari, Lulla talked at length about the impact of Covid2019 on the television and broadcast industry, key takeaways during the pandemic, television viewership, technology, advertising, and much more.

    Lulla shared that the peak in television viewership has gone down compared to the pre-Covid2019 level, but it is slowly picking up. Said he: “We are more than 902 million viewing minutes, it picked up to one billion viewing minutes. As people are confined into their homes the lines have blurred between primetime and non-prime time. The prime-time hours of 6 am to 6 pm witnessed a major shift in viewing.”

    With filming being halted during the lockdown, no production of televised content was happening, so the only option left with audiences was to watch news, movies and kids’ content. Hence, the news genre picked up pretty well – it went from seven per cent of viewing to 21 per cent, then back down to 14 per cent. Now it’s holding steady at seven per cent share of the category. Similarly, kids watched a lot of content before schools went online. Movies became big and once original programming started general entertainment channels (GECs) are back with higher viewership than the pre-Covid2019 period.

    TV will continue to remain as the screen of the household, claimed Lulla, but the initial few months into the lockdown were difficult for the industry as a whole. While there was a peak in viewership, advertising went down. The gap has never been as difficult to bridge before. “However, now advertising volumes are higher than what they were last year, so the shortfalls that are present will not be as bad as expected,” he said. A whole new set of advertisers and brands have come in, health and hygiene products, digital, gaming, e-commerce, ed-tech became huge during this time.

    In the middle of the crisis, digital has picked up fairly because of more mobile connections, higher data consumption, digital show launches. Also, despite being a difficult time period, the IPL has performed well both in terms of viewing and advertising.

    Another aspect that Lulla highlighted is the stiff competition between television and OTT. As audiences are now moving towards online content it is believed that digital advertising will outgrow television advertising in the coming years. Lulla quipped that there will be a Mahabharat between TV and OTT.

    “I think in 2020 in the US, digital advertising may overtake TV advertising but that’s unlikely  to be the case in India before 2030. It’s a question of quality service, quality of economy and what happens to the overall economy. It is not about OTT content or mobile screen. It is more about screen time. I think there will be growth in digital advertising. TV is not dropping, it is sustaining. Because if you want to reach the masses of India, TV is still the best medium.”

    In the last few months, the duration of a lot of niche channels like English GECs and infotainment has witnessed a lot of turbulence, courtesy the pandemic and NTO. But the question that begs to be asked is: weren’t they already seeing a slow death?

    Lulla explained that English is a sliver of the content pie, with less than one per cent of Indian audiences watching English programming. Later, the audiences started watching content on other mediums. So, in order to survive English GECs will have to rework their strategies.

    Another challenge before the television is that it is too advertising dependent, which is not the case in the west, where there is a balance between advertising and subscription. But since cable service in the country is cheap, compounded by a price tariff regime, very few channels are going to make profitable money on subscription alone, Lulla concluded.

  • BARC India renames impressions to average minute audience (AMA)

    BARC India renames impressions to average minute audience (AMA)

    MUMBAI: Keeping in line with global television measurement standards, BARC India will transition from using the term ‘impressions’ to ‘average minute audience (AMA)’, in cognisance with the technical committee.

    Data releases via the BARC India website for week 47 (Saturday 21 November, 2020) onwards will reflect AMA. The change in terminology started reflecting on YUMI Analytics for BARC subscribers from 1 December 2020.

    In a statement, BARC India emphasised its determination to evolve with changing times and provide the industry with metrics that are clear, match global standards, and a true representation of “what India watches.”

    Average minute audience (AMA) is defined as the number of individuals of a target audience who viewed an "event", averaged across minutes. The methodology for the calculation of AMA will continue to remain the same as that of impressions.

    BARC India measurement science and business analytics chief Dr. Derrick Gray said, “It is our constant endeavour to ensure that our subscribers are provided with a currency which is a true representation of ‘what India watches.’ At the same time, we are determined to provide our stakeholders with technology that is at par with global standards as well as clear metrics that match up to global metrics. We recently completed our transition to YUMI Analytics and as a step forward will move on to using AMA across data releases. We will continue to introduce world class practices and standards for our clients while evolving as a robust measurement body.”

  • Guest column: Why BARC renaming impressions as AMA makes sense

    Guest column: Why BARC renaming impressions as AMA makes sense

    CHENNAI: What is known as ‘impressions’in India is known as AMA in Canada, ‘average audience’ in the US and ‘projections’ in Australia. Regardless of the name, average minute audience is what it is and it is not just a case of a rose by any other name.

    BARC has defined impressions as the number of individuals (in '000s) in a target group who viewed an event averaged across minutes.

    The formula for impressions is:

    Impressions= Total Viewing Minutes/Program Duration (in mts)

    As is evident from the formula, total viewing minutes of a programmeis not the same as the programme duration. Suppose there are five individuals A, B,C, D and E in the target group and we want to measure the impressions of a 30-minute programme(or ‘event’ if you insist on jargon).


    Here, total viewing minutes of a 30-minute event is  0+ 5+ 30+ 10+3 = 48 minutes

    Total viewing minutes being the sum of minutes watched by all individuals in the TG.

    When applied in the formula,impressions = 48/30 = 1.6

    In other words, 1.6 is the average number of individuals viewing the event per minute.

    To refer to this as ‘average minute audience’ is just making life easier for everyone

    (( Total Viewing minutes is also Avg. daily reach x Avg. Time spent per viewer

    In our example, Average Daily Reach is 5 and Average Time Spent per viewer = 48/5 = 9.60))

    Impressions is a metric used in online response measurement as well. An impression is recorded when a web server responds to a page request by a user's browser. Using the same term in TV audience measurement was cause for confusion and this rechristening is a welcome move. In the new avatar as average minute audience, the concept becomes self-explanatory:

    “The average number of individuals who viewed the event in a minute.”

    Simple!

    Soccer and football maybe the same, but football is self-explanatory and soccer is jargon.

    The writer is managing partner of adMAX Media Consultants. The opinions expressed here are his own and Indiantelevision.com may not subscribe to them.

  • TRP scam: Mumbai Police files charge sheet

    TRP scam: Mumbai Police files charge sheet

    NEW DELHI: After a rigmarole of over one month, Mumbai Police has filed a charge sheet in the court, in the fake TRP scam, which was busted by the city police following a complaint by Hansa Research Group, a part of the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). 

    So far, 12 arrests have been made by the crime brand in the case, including owners of Fakt Marathi, Box Cinema, and distribution head of Republic TV. 

    The fake TRP scam came to light last month when rating agency Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) filed a complaint through Hansa Research Group, alleging that certain television channels were rigging TRP numbers. Hansa had been tasked with installing barometers, which record viewership data at sample households.

    Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh last month claimed that Republic TV and two Marathi channels Box Cinema and Fakt Marathi- were involved in manipulating TRPs.

    The Maharashtra government last month withdrew its "general consent" given to the Central Bureau of Investigation to probe cases in the state, in the wake of the CBI taking over a case registered by Uttar Pradesh Police against "unknown" channels and persons over alleged fudging of TRP.

    The Enforcement Directorate (ED) recently filed a money laundering complaint in the alleged TRP rigging scam being investigated by the Mumbai Police.

  • CNN remains outside of the impact of TRP measurement systems: Abhijeet Dhar

    CNN remains outside of the impact of TRP measurement systems: Abhijeet Dhar

    NEW DELHI: The theatrics surrounding the alleged manipulation of TRP by some of the top channels has prompted BARC to temporarily dismiss data sharing for the news genre, leaving an already unsatisfied community of leaders worrying further. While some players are taking it as an opportunity to reconsider their programming strategies and content, a few have again highlighted their points of contention for the existing measurement system. 

    However, in a recent exclusive conversation with Indiantelevision.com, CNN International director – sales South Asia Abhijeet Dhar claimed that the organisation has maintained a distance from the TRP rat race, and therefore, remains unimpacted by BARC’s decision. 

    He said, “CNN has been in India for a long time and has always strived to remain outside of this (measurement) system; earlier, there was TAM and now there is BARC. I think we are vaccinated and immune in that regard. Our approach to working with clients has been very different and we will continue to work in the same manner.”

    Dhar added that CNN’s approach to any client conversation is keeping the audience at the centre of everything and where the advertising message is supposed to be reaching. 

    “For us, the audience has always been at the heart of everything we do, be it editorial or sales. There is a big task force that sits with the client and discusses with them premium content, cross-platform initiatives, and the best narratives to reach the right audience. Everything is then curated basis the client brief.” 

    He asserted that they do not work with a sales-centred approach as it will be unfair to the audience. “Even as a sales team, CNN is very particular that we remain accurate and serve only the accurate information to our viewers,” he said. 

    But in the charged and manipulative environment of today, where so many advertisers and agencies are reconsidering their presence on several news channels, how does he ensure that advertiser interest remains intact in CNN?

    To this, Dhar has a very simple answer, “For us, the most valued asset is our audience; irrespective of the platform they are on, or the geographic location they come from. Our intent, with our editorial content too, remains to enhance the audience experience and give them a global perspective to the news. So, our clients also get a chance to optimise their content as our partners. That helps them too, in establishing a good connect with the right audience.” 

    This strategy helped Dhar and CNN sail through the tough times of the pandemic-induced lockdown of the past few months. 

    “CNN has always been at the forefront of advertiser movement. It comes naturally to us and that remains prevalent in the pandemic too. We have realised with various studies that advertising is very important for brands in this period as well and for certain categories, like biztech, home entertainment, the period ensured good growth. So, we became a preferred choice for them,” he explained. 

    Dhar is positive that from here on out, advertising trends will only be on the up and up. “There is austerity fatigue among most of the Indian consumers and the clients too. I think, with the festive season, we will see more people spending and I am positive about the coming quarter,” he signed off.  

  • How Star Pravah has emerged as the leader among Marathi GECs

    How Star Pravah has emerged as the leader among Marathi GECs

    MUMBAI: Marathi general entertainment channel Star Pravah has been on a hot streak lately. The channel, which was launched in 2008 by Star Entertainment Media, has been leading the pack for the past six weeks as per BARC India ratings and has now raced past rivals, including Zee Marathi, to clinch the title of most viewed Marathi GEC, that too by a yawning gap.

    While regional GECs have witnessed a sharp rise in viewership amid the Covid2019 pandemic, Star Pravah has managed to consistently engage more Maharashtrian viewers than its competitors over the last six weeks. According to BARC, the channel has registered 354112 impressions in million, a notch higher when compared to other Marathi GEC channels. In week 43, the channel clocked 10, 6 watch times in a billion minutes. What is the winning formula behind the channel’s recent string of successes, we wondered.

    Star Pravah credits its line-up of popular shows like Aai Kuthe Kay Karte, Rang Maza Vegla, Phulala Sugandha Maticha, and Sukh Mhanje Nakki Kay Asta. Four of its serials have featured in the top five in the last five weeks. In the non-fiction genre, Me Honar Superstar has consistently bagged the honour of best singing reality show in Marathi GEC for the last two years. 

     

     

    Source : BARC, Mah/Goa U+R, All NCCS 2+, (All Days | 24 hrs)

    Source: BARC, Mah/Goa U+R, All NCCS 2+, 24 hrs

    Be it a story centered around relatable people or a hard-hitting narrative on breaking social stigmas, the channel ensures it has something that caters to everyone’s tastes, said Star India regional entertainment CEO Kevin Vaz. “Star Pravah has always strived to provide an eclectic mix of entertaining content to Marathi-speaking viewers. Every show we have launched in the past year is based on deep-rooted consumer insights.”

    Recently, the channel has introduced programs which offer entertainment cutting across genres to viewers. These includes Comedy Bimedy, a laugh riot for the family, Jai Deva Shree Ganesha, an 11-part mythological show based on Lord Ganesha’s most popular stories, and Jyotiba, a mythological show revolving around one of the most revered gods in the regions of Kolhapur, Sangli, and Satara in Maharashtra.

    Vaz further highlighted that a year back (Week 39-42’19) Star Pravah had 16 hours of original programming per week. With the determination to provide more original content, the channel has upped it to 26 hours per week. Extensive programming line-up has also helped Star Pravah to retain the top spot.

    Star Pravah has partnered with leading production houses for different shows. Rajan Shahi’s Director Cut is producing Aai Kuthe Kay Karte. The story revolves around Arundhati, a caregiver for her family, whose kids start taking her for granted  as they grow older and independent. The show deeply resonates with homemakers who face a similar attitude within their own household.

    Rang Majha Vegala produced by Right Click Media Solutions is about breaking the colour bias, inspired by a social experiment which revealed that during matchmaking, 50 per cent of the time girls are rejected on the basis of their skin colour. The show’s plot focuses on a dark-skinned girl finding her true love.

     Phulala Sugandh Maticha created by Shashi Sumeet Productions is the story of Kirti, who with the help of her husband aspires to build a career for herself post marriage.

    Panorama Entertainment’s Mulgi Zali Ho deals with the social evil of female foeticide. Maharashtra is in the top three states with the lowest female sex ratio when it comes to the second child. Mulgi Zali Ho is about one such unwanted daughter and her journey to gain acceptance from her father.

    In terms of advertising, Star Pravah has a healthy mix of both national and regional advertisers. Vaz concluded, “In fact, with the recent increase in the ratings, we are seeing an upsurge in demand for the channel not only from existing brands but also from new brands who had not advertised with us before, both at a national and regional level.”

  • Bombay high court gives India today TV a clean chit

    Bombay high court gives India today TV a clean chit

    New Delhi: If anyone thought that the TRP manipulation row has ended, the news is that it is far from over.

    Last fortnight, the Bombay high court stayed an order passed by BARC disciplinary committee and directed BARC India not to take any coercive action against India Today group subject to a deposit of Rs 5 lakh with the court.

    In the latest development, as per a court order the Bombay high court has set aside the BARC disciplinary committee  order against India Today TV.  It has ordered that the Rs 5 lakh deposited with the court registrar be returned to the India Today group in full.

    A statement from the group said: “Over 45 years, we have painstakingly built on the principle of credible journalism. Story by story. Edition by edition. Platform by platform. We have created a deep legacy of credibility, excellence, trust and bipartisanship. We are widely recogised as the gold standard of journalism in the country. In a landscape marked by shrill polarities, we have only one political alignment: the Indian constitution. And, we follow it without fear or fervour.”

    We tried reaching BARC for comments but no one was available to respond.

  • TV witnesses highest ad volumes since 2015

    TV witnesses highest ad volumes since 2015

    MUMBAI: Week 43 of Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data has witnessed the highest ever ad volumes on television since week 16 in 2015.

    It also highlighted that 38,705,978 million seconds is the highest ever ad volume since week 16 (2015) on television in week 43.

    According to BARC, the festive season and big ticket properties have led to this growth. It further mentioned that ad volumes are also returning to normal (compared to week 43 2018):

    *Ad Volume in Million secs

    The report states that growth in week 43 is over second highest week: 2.1 per cent. Whereas the growth in week 43 is over third highest week: 5.7 per cent.

    In week 43 of BARC India rating, the top ten advertisers are Hindustan Unilever, Reckitt Benkiser, ITC, Godrej Consumer Products, Wipro, Ponds India, Colgate Palmolive India, Amazon Online India, Cadburys India, and Brooke Bond Lipton India.