Tag: TAM ratings

Colors hops back to number three

Updated: 07:41 PM

MUMBAI: In week 28 of TAM TV ratings, Colors proved its might and bounced back to number three position. It registered 342,279 GVTs, up from 320,019 GVTs. Moreover, it was the only Hindi general entertainment channel (GEC) to gain this week, while all the others saw a fall in viewership.

So what worked wonders for the Colors? Almost all its properties have seen an increase in the viewership. Thus, Sasural Simar Ka noted 4,366 TVTs, up from 4,179 TVTs, Uttaran recorded 2,262 TVTs, up from 2,188 TVTs. Talking about its non-fiction properties, Comedy Nights with Kapil witnessed a huge growth in the ratings and garnered 7,615 TVTs, up from 5,834 TVTs, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa registered 4,246 TVTs, up from 3,323 TVTs and The Anupam Kher Show stood at 2,591 TVTs, up from 1,445 TVTs.

Talking about numero uno Star Plus, it continues to dominate the chart by leading the number one position. It stood at 673,330 GVTs, down from 703,493 GVTs. So was it a lull period for the channel? Most of its fiction properties have seen a fall in the viewership. Thus, Pyar Ka Dard Hai noticed 5,111 TVTs, down from 5,258 TVTs, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya scored 7,909, down from 9,402 TVTs, Iss Pyar Ko Kya Naam Du recorded 2,517 TVTs, down from 2,656 TVTs.

Zee TV enjoys its number two position with 424,522 GVTs, down from 479,080 GVTs. Almost all its properties have seen a drop in the viewership. The channel’s chart leader Jodha Akbar noticed 7,598 TVTs, down from 7,998 TVTs, Aur pyar Ho Gaya observed 3,992 TVTs, down from 4,014 TVTs. Its non-fiction property India’s Best Cine Stars Ki Khoj also saw a drop and recorded 2,608 TVTs, down from 3,482 TVTs.

Life OK moves back to number four with 324,996 GVTs, down from 347,760 GVTs. The channel’s hot property Savdhaan India recorded 2,530 TVTs, down from 2,626 TVTs. Maha Dev noted 1,720 TVTs, down from 1,843 TVTs and Gustakh Dil observed 1,772 TVTs, down from 1,809 TVTs.

Sony continues its successful journey at number five with 248,304 GVTs, down from 287,707 GVTs. CID still seems to be the popular among the masses as it scored 4,394 TVTs, up from 4,145 TVTs. Maharana Veer Pratap also saw a rise in the ratings as it 3,056 TVTs and Crime Patrol scored 1789 TVTs, up from 1,732 TVTs.

Sab stood at number six with 248,304 GVTs, down from 275,947 GVTs. The channel’s chart topper Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah recorded 6,460 TVTs, down from 7,019 TVTs. Badi Door se Aaye Hai noted 2,444 TVTs, down from 2,732 TVTs and Chidiya Ghar garnered 2,719 TVTs, down from 3,012 TVTs.

July 17, 2014
FIFA World Cup: Sony Six & Sony Aath TVT & reach report

MUMBAI: As the final of the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws closer, fans across the world are waiting with bated breath along with the official broadcaster of the game: Sony Six as to which team will lift the much coveted trophy. Even in India, the tournament has been gathering a lot of buzz in the media and on social media.

It seems to be doing well in terms of TV viewership as well as football fans get red-eyed late into the night watching their favourites play. In the first week of the telecast of the World Cup, Sony Six had an all India reach of 12,469,000 while Sony Aath’s reach was 3,114,000. Combined, the two channels had a total reach of 14,792,000 in the C&S 4 plus years group. In the same week, while Six recorded a reach of 3,056,000 in the West Bengal market, Sony Aath’s reach was 3,043,000.

The second week proved to be even more fruitful for the channels with Sony Aath’s reach soaring to 5,589,000 in the West Bengal market. Within Kolkata, the reach of the Bengali channel was 2,561,000 for the first week while in the second week it rose to 4,427,000.

What is interesting to see is, while the channels reach increased in the first two weeks of the World Cup, TVTs have a different story to tell. So, amongst males in the C&S 15 plus age group, while Sony Aath recorded 173 TVTs in the West Bengal market in week one, it dropped to 154 TVTs in the second week. For Sony Six, the all India ratings in the same category were 613 TVTs in the first week, which saw a huge drop in the second week to 453 TVTs.

GroupM ESP national director Vinit Karnik says the drop in TVTs as the tournament progresses is no cause for concern as it has more to do with the number of matches per week decreasing as it enters the knock out phase and the various national teams start getting eliminated. “The drop has nothing to do with fans and their interest in the game,” he says.

There is other good news as well. As per week 26 of TAM TV ratings, Sony Aath has seen a rise in female viewership in the 15 plus age group for the World Cup in West Bengal. The channel recorded an average of 152 TVTs for the telecast of the matches 1-27. That is a four per cent increase over the 146 TVTs that ESPN Star Sports (the then official broadcaster) managed during the telecast of the 2010 World Cup.

Karnik adds, “As compared to the male viewership, this growth among female viewers can be attributed to young girls who are mainly herd followers of the game. They follow the game out of fan following (of players) or because of common peer interest”

On the whole, Sony Six (all India) and Sony Aath recorded 483 TVTs and 161 TVTs (combined total: 644 TVTs) for matches 1-27.

Telecasting most of the matches at prime time has definitely paid off, it appears. Especially if one looks at the numbers that the Germany vs Portugal match on 16 June (telecast time 9:30 pm) racked up: 1,514 TVTs on Sony Six and 393 TVTs on Sony Aath. Combined the two channels garnered 1,907 TVTs for the match, making it the highest rated one so far.

July 8, 2014
Sony Six TAM (es) rating with FIFA World Cup

MUMBAI: It has been 10 days since the FIFA World Cup started and the excitement is only rising for fans and official broadcaster, Sony Six.

According to inputs provided by the channel, 14.8 million viewers have switched on to the channel to watch the games despite the fact that three of the five games take place post midnight.

For the ninth week now, Sony Six has retained its position as the number one sports channel in India, it claims.

Meanwhile, MSM group’s regional channel Sony Aaath providing live Bengali commentary during the matches in West Bengal has proved to be a brilliant business move for the channel. Five million viewers from Kolkata tuned in to watch the games being held in Brazil versus 4.6 million viewers that had tuned in during the 2010 World Cup. Similarly, 1.6 million viewers from the rest of Bengal watched versus 1.2 million viewers who tuned in last time.

Beyond the metros, the ratings have been positive in towns with a population of more than 10 million, while towns within the population range one to 10 million homes have registered a growth of six per cent.

With most games being showcased during the primetime at 9:30 pm, the response so far for the channel has been positive.

Meanwhile, the FIFA World Cup seems to be breaking viewership records in several countries, FIFA has revealed. 34.1 million Japanese viewers tuned into watch their country get deafeated 2-1 by Ivory Coast on NHK at 10 am when the match was telecast. TV Globo reported that 42.9 million Brazillian viewers watched the host nation beat Croatia 3-1. The story in the US was no different with 11.1 million Americans watching Uncle Sam play with Ghana on ESPN.

Audiences were also glued to their TV sets in both Italy and England as the former beat the latter 2-1. The viewership numbers for the BBC were 14.2 million for the match, while RAI1 in Italy notched up 12.8 million viewers – the highest TV viewership in 2014 for both the countries. In Germany, ARD channel lured 26.4 million viewers as it beat Portugal 4-1.

June 21, 2014
Hindi News channels see massive viewership spike on 16 May

MUMBAI: The last two months have been a festival for news channels as elections took place across the country. It all boiled down to the orgasmic climax of counting day, 16 May. Let’s have a look at how Hindi News channels fared in the Hindi speaking markets (HSM).

As per TAM data provided by a news channel, ABP News led in the HSM market but overall India was led by Aaj Tak. India TV on the other hand was third in both but India TV showed highest viewership from the five HSM metros as well as Delhi and Mumbai.

Let’s have a look at the data for HSM markets, all India market and the five HSM metros(Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmedabad and Pune).

Source: TAM 16 May 2014, 24 hours CS ABC 15+

A channel source says that on an average day, the viewership tends to be 30 per cent to 40 per cent less than what it was on the counting day.

In the five HSM metros, India TV had 10489 GVTs, Aaj Tak had 8253 GVTs and ABP News 8344 GVTs.

As most channels began their election coverage, prime time news began at 6:00 am and went till midnight. What usually is the bastion of business news channels was taken by general news channels for the crucial day.

May 22, 2014
Star Plus gains big in TAM week 10

Updated: 7:08 PM

MUMBAI: It was a big victory for the leading general entertainment channel (GEC), Star Plus – courtesy India’s most talked about show – Satyamev Jayate which clocked 4,874 TVTs and helped the channel cross the 700 million mark. In the week 10 of TAM TV ratings, the channel recorded a whooping 717,248 GVTs (637,252 GVTs). Not only this, the channels move of extending all its prime time fiction properties till Saturday has also paid off.

Star Plus’ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum noticed a huge rise and noted 12,748 TVTs from 10,943 TVTs last week. Saathiya is the second highest property for the channel as it observed 10,853 TVTs from 9,827 TVTs a week earlier. Its epic series Mahabharat too witnessed a high in the ratings and recorded 6,669 TVTs from 5,904 TVTs a week earlier. Sunil Grover’s reality show – MAD In India does not seem to interest people as it witnessed a drop in its ratings and scored 2,366 TVTs from 3,216 TVTs.

Holding the second position strongly is again Zee TV which saw a marginal dip but is ahead of the other GECs and scored 527,996 GVTs (547,981 GVTs). Its fiction property Aur Pyar Ho Haya witnessed a slight drop in its ratings and noted 5,206 TVTs from 5,328 TVTs a week earlier. The channel’s dance reality show, DID LiL masters – in its second week, witnessed a huge drop in its ratings and stood at 8,764 TVTs from 11,099 TVTs in week 09.

Colors doesn’t seem to be spreading enough colours these days as the channel witnessed a further drop this week. Its comedy property Comedy Nights with Kapil magic is working with the audiences as it recorded a high with 9,515 TVTs from 8,427 TVTs. India’s Got Talent lost and fetched 4,864 TVTs from 6,567 TVTs.

Life OK saw a rise and garnered 372,666 GVTs from 341,467 GVTs and stood at number four. Sab continues to occupy the fifth position with 304,619 GVTs from 302,960 GVTs a week earlier. Sony Entertainment Television (SET) stands at the bottom of the chart as it fetched 301,112 GVTs from 306,159 GVTs, last week.

In the movie genre: Zee Cinema reported 198,401 GVTs, down from 191,121 GVTs; Movies OK scored 116,767 GVTs, down from 130,606 GVTs; &pictures garnered 80,248 GVTs, up from 77,000 GVTs; Zee Anmol earned 63,203 GVTs, down from 64,848 GVTs and Max registered 158,676 GVTs, down from 176,561 GVTs.

March 13, 2014
TRAI recommendations on accreditation of rating agencies accepted: Tewari

NEW DELHI: Even as the industry body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) is struggling with its teething problems, the Information and Broadcasting Ministry (I &B) has accepted view of the Telecom Regulatory of India (TRAI) that the minimum number of homes that a rating agency should measure should be 20,000 within six months of the guidelines coming into force, after which the number should be increased by 10,000 every year to reach 50,000.

Minister Manish Tewari has said that his Ministry would place these guidelines before the union cabinet, a note for which has already been circulated. The Ministry had earlier asked the regulator to provide its guidelines on the issue, after which TRAI had in September released its recommendations including a condition that they be notified within two months.

He said most recommendations had been “more or less accepted.” “Once we have the cabinet approval, we will notify the guidelines,” he added. Interestingly, Tewari, during his speech, also touched upon the dispute on whether the foreign direct investment should be raised for the print media. While the Press Council of India (PCI) had submitted its recommendations that the current levels of FDI in print media should be maintained, the Indian Newspaper Society (INS) had favoured raising the limit to 49 per cent. “We are trying to build a political consensus after all media is a sensitive area,” Tewari said.

The TV audience measurement mechanism has been a subject of controversy in the past with many channels expressing dissatisfaction with TAM ratings.

Tewari said the amendments to the Press and Registration Books Act were already on the Ministry website and stakeholders’ had sought fresh consultations on issues including ‘paid news’, which had been slated for Tuesday.

Replying to a question related to setting up of a National Gaming and Animation Centre in Mohali in Punjab, Tewari said there was a problem as it was intended to be a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) but the private sector had not responded.

He said government was considering a plan to set up the institute with Japanese assistance. Tewari said bills to give special status to Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) and Satyajit Ray Film and TV Institute had been sent to the Law Ministry. He said another proposal to give the status of ‘institute of national importance’ to the Indian Institute of Mass Communication was by and large ready.

November 19, 2013
When Arnab vanished, almost

What happens when the nation’s most vociferous, most articulate news show anchor goes missing? Well, the nation goes into overdrive, demanding to know the whereabouts of the host it has come to love, or hate, as the case may be.

We’re talking about Arnab Goswami, Times Now Editor-in-Chief and presenter of The Newshour, one of the most widely-watched and debated shows on the channel. Goswami’s disappearing act last week, though brief, was enough to set off a cacophony of telephones ringing at the Times Now office. And much like Arnab’s familiar rant on the show ‘The Nation wants to know’, viewers wanted to know where in God’s name was Arnab?

Unable to deal with so many telephone calls, The Newshour even put out a tweet saying: “Our viewers have been asking about Arnab. To them, we would like to say that he will be back on Monday at 9pm on show again”. However, the calls continued unabated. A Times Now employee described the number of calls and emails inquiring whether Arnab had taken ill as ‘astonishing’ and that “Only celebrities get such calls, don’t they?”

Forget the cold vibes between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the party’s tallest leader LK Advani, it was Arnab who was the topic on social media.

The twitterati took to their favourite website with a vengeance, sending out both love and hate tweets for the man who loves to play devil’s advocate on The Newshour. Some went on to draw parallels between Arnab’s absence from The Newshour with that of say a Salman Khan from Bigg Boss or Amitabh Bachchan from KBC. Others made unfavourable comparisons with other news anchors in tweets like: “Barkha Dutt to undergo a face implant to look like Arnab Goswami to boost NDTV TRPs” and even derided tongue-tied panellists as: “Panellists on The Newshour speechless as they’re used to speaking for just 10 seconds with Arnab around…”.

Still others heaved a sigh of relief as “they could finally turn up the volume of their television sets rather than turn down.” Forget the cold vibes between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the party’s tallest leader LK Advani, it was Arnab who was the topic on social media. So with such an iconic presence missing, did the channel lose out on TRPs or did other news channels make most of the opportunity. Only next week will tell… that is when the TAM ratings are out…

The collective impact of regulation and the creeping tyranny of the minority have stifled innovation in our industry and, dare I say, in the economy as whole. At 15 per cent, we may grow at thrice the rate of the GDP but that is more a reflection of our topline economic growth than the health of our industry. At this rate, it will take us another 15 years to hit $100 billion in value and by then, we will be just three per cent of the world media market. This is just unacceptable.

Till then, both those who love and hate Arnab can sit back and watch his shenanigans as he returns today same time same show on your favourite news channel…

November 2, 2013

When Arnab vanished, almost

What happens when the nation’s most vociferous, most articulate news show anchor goes missing? Well, the nation goes into overdrive, demanding to know the whereabouts of the host it has come to love, or hate, as the case may be.

We’re talking about Arnab Goswami, Times Now Editor-in-Chief and presenter of The Newshour, one of the most widely-watched and debated shows on the channel. Goswami’s disappearing act last week, though brief, was enough to set off a cacophony of telephones ringing at the Times Now office. And much like Arnab’s familiar rant on the show ‘The Nation wants to know’, viewers wanted to know where in God’s name was Arnab?

Unable to deal with so many telephone calls, The Newshour even put out a tweet saying: “Our viewers have been asking about Arnab. To them, we would like to say that he will be back on Monday at 9pm on show again”. However, the calls continued unabated. A Times Now employee described the number of calls and emails inquiring whether Arnab had taken ill as ‘astonishing’ and that “Only celebrities get such calls, don’t they?”

________________________________________________________________________

Forget the cold vibes between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the party’s tallest leader LK Advani, it was Arnab who was the topic on social media.
_____****________________________________________________________________

The twitterati took to their favourite website with a vengeance, sending out both love and hate tweets for the man who loves to play devil’s advocate on The Newshour. Some went on to draw parallels between Arnab’s absence from The Newshour with that of say a Salman Khan from Bigg Boss or Amitabh Bachchan from KBC. Others made unfavourable comparisons with other news anchors in tweets like: “Barkha Dutt to undergo a face implant to look like Arnab Goswami to boost NDTV TRPs” and even derided tongue-tied panellists as: “Panellists on The Newshour speechless as they’re used to speaking for just 10 seconds with Arnab around…”.

Still others heaved a sigh of relief as “they could finally turn up the volume of their television sets rather than turn down.” Forget the cold vibes between BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and the party’s tallest leader LK Advani, it was Arnab who was the topic on social media. So with such an iconic presence missing, did the channel lose out on TRPs or did other news channels make most of the opportunity. Only next week will tell… that is when the TAM ratings are out…

The collective impact of regulation and the creeping tyranny of the minority have stifled innovation in our industry and, dare I say, in the economy as whole. At 15 per cent, we may grow at thrice the rate of the GDP but that is more a reflection of our topline economic growth than the health of our industry. At this rate, it will take us another 15 years to hit $100 billion in value and by then, we will be just three per cent of the world media market. This is just unacceptable.

Till then, both those who love and hate Arnab can sit back and watch his shenanigans as he returns today same time same show on your favourite news channel…

September 16, 2013

Zee, Life OK biggest gainers in week 25 TAM ratings

MUMBAI: In week 25 TAM ratings, Zee TV was the highest gainer, as it added 16 GRPs, taking its score to 209. Life OK, this week is the second highest gainer as it notched up nine GRPs taking its score to 136 GRPs, according to the weekly ratings provided by a TV channel. Colors, the highest gainer for last week, saw a rise of seven GRPs, taking its total to 188 GRPs to secure its position at No 3, for the week.

Sony Entertainment Television followed at the fourth position with a tally of 149 GRPs. Sab lopped off two GRPs this week taking its tally to 138 GRPs. Star Plus shed 11 GRPs but has still managed to hold on to its No 1 spot with 243 GRPs.

Numero uno Star Plus‘ chart topper Diya Aur Baati Hum witnessed a fall when it rated 3.7 TVR (4.4 TVR last week). Unlike last week, other fiction series appear to be losing the connect with audiences. Yeh Rishta Kya Kehlata Hai decreased to 3.0 TVR (3.5 TVR last week), Pyaar ka Dard to 2.8 TVR (3.2 TVR last week) followed by Saraswati Chandra that remained stable at 1.8 TVR. New series Meri Bhabhi rated 1.9 TVR.

The good news is, Veera, aired on Star Plus, has witnessed a growth generating 3.0 this week (2.5 TVR last week). With several new reality shows on air, the channel‘s talent hunt-cum-reality show India‘s Dancing Superstar snipped off some viewers when it rated 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday.

Zee TV‘s new reality show DID Super Moms leapt to 3.5 TVR (2.8 TVR) on Saturday and saw a fall on Sunday when it rated 2.7 TVR (3.2 TVR last week). Its fictional offering Qubool Hai notched up generating 3.4 TVR (2.8 TVR last week), Sapne Suhane Ladakpan Ke aired its maha-episode that rated 3.3 TVR on 17 June (Monday), Pavitra Rishta witnessed a marginal improvement as it registered 2.5 TVR (2.1 TVR last week) . The new reality peep show Connected Hum Tum witnessed stability with a 0.7 TVR. The 90s blockbuster movie Hum Aapke Hai Kaun generated a 1.1 TVR. New historical show Jodha Akbar generated 2.0 TVR.

Colors slipped to No. 3 as its popular celebrity dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa generated a 2.1 TVR on Saturday (2.0 TVR) and 1.8 TVR on Sunday (1.9 TVR). Fiction shows on Colors seem to be dragging. Thus, Balika Vadhu witnessed a slight drop when it rated 2.5 TVR (2.6 TVR), Madhubala- Ek Ishq Ek Junoon, last week‘s channel leader, also shed ratings and closed at 2.4 TVR (2.5 TVR) and Uttaran rated 2.2 TVR (2.3 TVR). New comedy show Comedy Nights with Kapil generated 3.4 TVR on Saturday.

Fourth placed, Sony Entertainment Television‘s long running crime series CID witnessed a slight fall as it rated 2.1 TVR (2.3). Crime Petrol saw a 0.1 improvement generating 1.8 TVR (1.7 last week). On the other hand, Comedy Circus ke Ajoobe rated 1.3 TVR (1.1 TVR). Its new historical show Maharana Pratap saw an improvement of 0.1 TVR, generating 1.4 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fiction shows either held on to their viewership or dipped marginally during the week. Sony‘s all new Indian Idol Junior (IIJ) remained stable with ratings of 1.8 TVR on Saturday and Sunday respectively.

Sab shed two GRPs from the past week, but still managed to hold fifth position. Its fiction show Taarak Mehta Ka Ooltah Chashmah continues to be the channel leader with 3.5 TVR (3.1 TVR). Lapataganj (in-laws) fell to 1.0 TVR (1.3 TVR). Other fictional shows witnessed a marginal rise and fall as well.

Life OK‘s top series Mahadev saw a growth to 1.9 TVR (1.6 TVR). The new fiction show Do Dil Ek Jaan managed to get 0.6 TVR (0.5 TVR). Hum Ne Li Hai… Shapath increased its score to 1.4 TVR (0.9 TVR). Savdhan India remained stable at 1.2 TVR.

Sahara has finally showed some improvement, being rated 20 GRPs (19 GRPs last week), but it still continues to be at the bottom.
In the movie channels genre: Zee Cinema saw a drop, reporting 100 GRPs (108 last week); Star Gold rose three points, reporting 109 GRPs (106 last week) and Movies OK was at 55 GRPs (51 last week). On the other hand, Max reported 122 GRPs (116 last week).
All in all, week 25 saw channels win some and lose some, as always.

June 27, 2013

“We hope to reach a mature solution on the TAM ratings issue” :MadisonWorld chairman & managing director Sam Balsara

There are two kinds of individuals out there. Those, who lead their lives on their own terms and others, who lead their lives according to the terms set by the rest of the world. And then there is Sam Balsara, who creates benchmarks for the rest through his feisty attitude!

Rated as amongst the top media professionals in the world, MadisonWorld chairman & managing director Sam Balsara is no stranger to a challenging situation. He is known to speak his mind without mincing his words. The media vet has worn many hats in various industry associations and committees over his very long career, which began at Sarabhai’s in the late sixties, early seventies and ended with him setting up Madison 25 years ago.

Here, in an exclusive interview, Balsara opens up on the heated issue of Broadcasters v/s TAM Media. Who else can give us a better perspective than the advertising genius himself. Sit back, read and enjoy his engaging responses from this free wheeling chat indiantelevision.com had with him.

Excerpts:

What is your take on Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) members deciding to discontinue subscribing to TV ratings provider TAM?

It is very clear ratings are very important not just for advertisers and agencies alone, but for the whole industry which includes broadcasters who have worked so hard to built the industry to Rs 12,000 crore. If there are no ratings the confidence in TV advertising will go down.

Take a look at radio and out of home; they have no robust measurement system, hence they account for just five per cent of the media spends. Television does have a robust measurement systems and it accounts for a sizeable 45 per cent.

You don’t have to throw the baby out with the bathwater. If there is something wrong, you fix it. We have to remember that the TV ratings that come out every week are a sample not a census. At times, if it does not do justice, you don’t shut it down. The long term solution is definitely BARC…till then we have to have TAM.

But then how do you address the problems that the IBF and the government has with the ratings?

Let the IBF put out a paper on what their view is on what is wrong with the ratings methodology and what needs fixing. We can give our view on what can be done or should be. The answer is not stopping a rating system.

Why do you say that?

Stopping a ratings system would hurt the broadcast leaders in their respective individual genres, they would lose their leadership perception and this would hurt them. I think it is a very unwise decision.

Let’s say the TAM meltdown continues and you don’t have ratings, is historical data a valid barometer for buying TV advertising time?

Historical data around TV viewership is not an option and is unacceptable to the buyer. I would not work with historical data for buying. If I am buying IPL this year, why should I use last year’s data? Why should and how can I use historical data for how a serial is performing? We know that viewership habits move around.

Then what is the solution?

If there is something seriously wrong with TAM‘s data, methodology, we should sit together, highlight the problems, diagnose the imperfections and come up with answers. We need to give a patient hearing to each other as to why it’s going wrong too!

I am aware that TV ratings have been going down because of the rejig of the sample, digitisation and also LC1. But every time you go for a change in a changing environment, the findings are also going to change.

But the dropping ratings are hurting broadcasters and they are saying how is that possible when we are paying for the measurement?

That brings us to the fundamental question: should media owners pay for the ratings system? Maybe you are right! Media owners should not be involved in media measurement. But the fact is that no media owner has found fault with the ratings system when they are at No 1.

But Star India which is the leader in the GEC space is also likely to discontinue its TAM subscription…

Hmmm. The only thing I have to say is that if there is no viewership data, the TV industry is going to suffer.

Is making the advertiser/ad agency pay for the data a solution?

As far as the advertising industry is concerned, we don’t really care who pays for the data, we are concerned that we get the data. We are absolutely certain that we need the ratings.

What if broadcasters continue to refuse to accept TAM as the currency and want to do transactions for TV adverts with agencies and advertisers?

For a deal to take place, each seller has to make something available to the buyer and the latter has to see value in it to pay for it. Both parties have an objective and as long as it is met a deal happens. You see if Dove is priced at Rs 30, and you see merit in buying it you will pay for it, if you don’t, you won’t. Similarly with us, we need a measurement metric before we buy media.

The IBF seems to be pushing the agenda on various fronts. For instance, in the case of net billings it was the IBF which had its way by forcing the advertising industry to accept net billings? Will it do so even in TAM’s case?

There is no question of IBF having its way. The AAAI, ISA and the IBF found a mutually acceptable solution. Some of our full service advertising agency members wanted the 15 per cent mention to be in the bills and we got that in. It was a mature solution that met the needs of all concerned. We similarly hope to reach a mature solution on the TAM ratings situation too.

June 10, 2013