BARC amends policy for single event reporting

Allows TV Stations to publicly disclose BARC audience estimates for single events that equal or exceed a minimum audience standard

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Delhi | November 19, 2015

On the eve of the release of viewership data for Bihar elections counting day, BARC India has now issued guidelines for broadcasters for the use of television viewership data for a significant TV Station audience event such as major news, sports, movie or other single TV Station programme event. The rating agency has made an amendment to the BARC Permissible Use Policy that will allow TV Stations to publicly disclose BARC audience estimates for Single Events that equal or exceed a minimum audience standard. The disclosure of such single events is restricted and must fully comply with BARC India's Single Event Reporting Standards.

BARC India Permissible Disclosure Policy for Single Event Audiences can be adopted subject to the following policy and rules:

A. Source Data and Attribution

• BARC India Audience estimate for Station XXXX on DD/MM/YYYY from HH/MM to HH/MM
• Estimates are produced using BARC India BMW software

B. Single Event Pre-requisites

i) Geography must be for either

• a). One complete market state/state group area (e.g. Mahi/Goa, Rajasthan etc.)
• b). One complete town class for total India (6 Mega Cities, 10-75L, <10L or Rural)

Other Geographic (e.g. Mumbai, GU 10-75L) are expressively prohibited

ii) Demographics

• Gender: Both, Males or Females
• Age breaks: Within Gender: persons 4+, persons 4-21, persons 22+ (no other cuts are permitted)
• NCCS breaks: Restricted to total audience estimates without any gender or age filters

Examples that are ok as per policy:

Station XXX, Rajasthan, M 4+

Station XXX, 6 Mega Cities, M 4-21

Station XXX, 6 Mega Cities, NCCS A

Station XXX, HSM, M 22+

Examples that are not okay as per policy:

Station XXX, Mumbai, M 4+

Station XXX, Rajasthan, M 22-30

Station XXX, UP 10-75L, M 22+

Station XXX, HSM, M 22+ AB

iii). Time Band Duration and Audience Size: The event being reported must have

• Minimum duration of 1 hour – No exceptions
• Event rating in (000)s must be 50% or greater than the station audience for same day-of-week and same time period in the prior four weeks
• Ratings in (000)s that is 10% or greater of the TV Station's sign-on to sign-off (i.e. on-air time period if less than 24 hours) audience for the same day as the event

 C.  Permitted Audience Estimates

• Ratings may only be expressed as Rating (000)s, use of Rating % not permitted
• Coverage expressed as Coverage in (000)s use of Coverage % not permitted
• Competitive rankings are permissible provided that the rankings are for the same day as the event and for the identical time period based on the audience ratings in (000)s and/or coverage in (000)s
• Competitive references and comparisons are permitted provided that they are for the same day as the reported event and for the identical time period. However, no competitive shares are allowed in any external release of audience estimates for single events covered by this policy.

D. Source Footnote must include:

• BARC India Source References
• TG Geographic Area
• TG Definition: Gender/Age/NCCS

Also read:

TVT or TVR: Who will solve the puzzle?

BARC lays down rules to prohibit misuse of TV ratings

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