BROADCAST AUDIENCE RESEARCH COUNCIL (BARC)

NEWS: I&B Ministry orders halt to TRP reporting of TV news channels for four weeks

ABOUT

• Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)àa joint industry body formed by stakeholders
• Representing: Broadcasters, Advertisers, Advertising agencies
• It owns and manages the TV audience measurement system in India.
• Established: 2010
• Headquarters: Mumbai, India
• It is the sole body authorized to measure and publish television audience data (TRP) in India.

Television Rating Point (TRP)

• Is a metric used to measure the popularity and viewership of TV programmes.
• Higher viewership → Higher TRP.
• Measured over a specific period (usually weekly).

Importance of TRP

• Used by broadcasters and advertisers to determine program popularity.
• Advertisers decide where to place advertisements based on TRP.
• Investors decide investments based on channel performance.

TRP Calculation

BAR-O-Meters / People Meters

• Installed in selected households’ televisions.
• Record channels/programmes watched and viewing time.

Audio Watermark Technology

• Detects embedded audio signals in TV broadcasts to track viewership.
• Measures time-shifted viewing and simulcasts.

Sampling Method

• Data collected from thousands of households.
• Extrapolated to represent the entire population.

Picture Matching Technique

• People meters capture small portions of the TV screen image.
• Images are analysed later to calculate TRP ratings.

TRP Publication

• BARC releases weekly TRP ratings every Thursday, ranking TV channels and programmes.