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The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has thrown a potential curveball at the broadcasting ecosystem in their latest consultation paper on the National Broadcasting Policy 2024. The paper, released on April 2nd, 2024, raises concerns about the current system's reliance on a single provider, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).


“BARC being the sole provider of rating services in India, raises concerns about market behaviour, service quality, and cost inefficiencies, highlighting the need for additional players to encourage healthy competition. Introducing more agencies not only fosters competition but also has the potential to improve service quality and reduce costs, as dependency on a single agency often lack the drive to innovate and adapt to industry demands. Competition acts as a catalyst for innovation, prompting BARC and other entities to adopt new technologies and methodologies, ensuring continuous evolution in line with media landscape changes,” read an excerpt from the consultation paper.


According to TRAI, a competitive environment will as a natural deterrent against rating manipulation, as multiple agencies vie for accuracy and credibility. 


The consultation paper also suggests that independence from industry stakeholders is crucial for ensuring a neutral and unbiased approach to audience measurement.




“When measurement agencies are free from industry affiliations or influences, the process remains objective, transparent, and untainted by external pressures, enhancing credibility and trustworthiness,” the paper said. 


It is important to note here, BARC India is a joint industry body founded by stakeholder bodies that represent broadcasters, advertisers, and advertising and media agencies. 


TRAI mentions that in its recommendations on ‘Review of Television Audience Measurement and Rating System in India’ dated 28.04.2020 they had said that the rating agency should be mandated to increase the sample size from the existing 44,000 to 60,000 by the end of 2020, and 1,00,000 by the end of 2022 using the existing technology. However, according to them, the BARC India is operating with a panel size of only 55,000 households. 


“This sample size falls short of accurately representing the vast landscape of 182 million TV
households in the country with diverse viewing preferences. Moreover, with an anticipated growth in TV households expected to reach 202 million by 2026, the existing panel size is poised to become even more inadequate. Therefore, there's a need to establish a roadmap for incrementally expanding the sample size to meet the evolving landscape
of television viewership,” the paper said. 


A rating agency ideally according to TRAI should also include measurement beyond linear TV. 


“In the dynamic realm of modern media consumption, integrating data from non-linear sources is essential for a comprehensive television audience measurement system. Viewers also turning to on- demand content via OTT services and streaming platforms, in addition to traditional linear TV metrics. However, BARC’s present audience measurement mechanism incorporates data from linear television only,” the paper said.


“Cross-platform content consumption, enabled by seamless transitions between linear TV and OTT, adds complexity, necessitating a system that adeptly captures cross-device viewing habits. Advertisers seek unified data to optimize campaigns across platforms, leveraging insights to tailor
strategies effectively,” it added. 



TRAI proposes multiple broadcast ratings agencies in draft National Broadcasting Policy for fairer competition and transparency




The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), has taken significant strides in enhancing its meter count for measuring TV audiences. According to reports, BARC has increased its meter count to 59,000 and is actively working towards achieving a target of 65,000 in the near future.

Utilizing Bar-O-meters to collect crucial TV viewership data, BARC is consistently adding new meters on a monthly basis to meet its goal. This expansion reflects BARC's commitment to providing comprehensive and accurate insights into the television viewership landscape in India.

In a previous interview with Storyboard18, Shashi Sinha, chairman of BARC India had said, “The government has clear guidelines that say that panel size shall be increased by 10,000 every year.We are in sync with that.”

Talking on how increasing panel homes help he had said, “BARC is a very robust currency but there are certain smaller segments like the news genre where the sample is very small so the chances of variations are very high and increasing the panel homes reduces that.This kind of sample size reduces infiltrations of any sort.”

A lot of people do not know about another rule that the guidelines from the ministry highlights. The rule says 25 percent of the panel homes shall be rotated every year. 

“The rotation is to be done in such a manner that older panel homes are removed first while maintaining the representativeness of the panel. This rotation is expected to be achieved in a staggered manner by rotating panel homes every month. All of this helps in better and fairer measurement of data,” he said. 

BARC boosts TV meter count to 59,000

The longstanding debate on the rolling and unrolling of data for news channel viewership may be nearing resolution as the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) board gears up for a crucial meeting with officials from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on December 19.

People close to the development said there are two focal points for the upcoming discussion. First on the agenda is the unrolling of data, a move that would grant broadcasters access to weekly viewership data for the news genre. The second item slated for deliberation is the potential expansion of panel homes.

Towards the end of November, the MIB allowed BARC to discard the four-week rolling average data system for news ratings. Initially implemented after a 17-month hiatus due to the alleged TRP scam the move was opposed by some broadcasters. Soon after, MIB urged BARC to maintain the status quo, promptly splitting the stakeholders in the broadcasting industry into.

This split stakeholders in the broadcasting industry into two camps, those favouring weekly data and those supporting the four-week rolling data.

The upcoming meeting is anticipated to see a resolution from the MIB.

As for increasing panel homes, BARC recently increased the sample size by about 25,000 and presently has a 55000 homes panel. They are also committed to add more as per government guidelines.

In an earlier interview with Storyboard18, Shashi Sinha, chairman of BARC India had explained how it works.


“To start with, BARC is a very robust currency but there are certain smaller segments like the news genre where the sample is very small so the chances of variations are very high and increasing the panel homes reduces that. This kind of sample size reduces infiltrations of any sort,” he had said.

There is another rule in the guidelines issued by the ministry that says 25 percent of the panel homes should be rotated every year. The rotation is to be done such that older panel homes are removed first while maintaining the representativeness of the panel. This rotation is expected to be achieved in a staggered manner by rotating panel homes every month. All of this helps in better and fairer measurement of data.

Debate on news data may soon conclude as BARC meets MIB on Dec 19

In the ongoing debate over weekly data versus four-week rolling averages from BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) for the news genre, stakeholder opinion leans towards weekly data. Experts argue that the four-week rolling average is unfair, potentially undermining the recognition of channels that excel in a specific week compared to their performance four weeks back.


The debate on data metrics for the news genre has resurfaced after the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) gave a go ahead last week to unroll BARC data. Cut to the following week, the ministry has again deferred the plan for giving broadcasters in the niche genres access to weekly data. 


This dispute reflects broader challenges in the broadcasting industry, where the reliance on ad revenue faces scrutiny, especially for niche channels amid the increasing influence of Big Tech. 

But how?

“The healthy way to grow in the broadcasting industry is to combine subscription and ad revenue. However, in India, the reluctance to pay for content limits this model, leaving ad revenue as the primary driving force. With the entry of Big Tech companies, this model faces a huge roadblock for niche channels, particularly in the news genre. Linear channels are now competing for a shrinking ad pie. Now those benefiting from the four-week rolling average data system resist the introduction of new metrics, causing protests against the unrolling of BARC data,” said a domain expert on conditions of anonymity. 


Why the push for weekly data?


Barring the broadcasters who are pushing the ministry to rethink their decision of bringing back unrolled data, the news fraternity is united in their stance on the issue.


"The prevailing norm is weekly data, a standard model across industries and genres. Applying a rolling average to news is questionable. For instance, when analysing events like India not winning the World Cup, ratings and popularity in a specific week would be very high. However, when this week's popularity is averaged with weeks-old viewership data from matches against New Zealand or other countries, the significance of the current week diminishes,” another domain expert explained.


While the industry grapples with finding a balanced measurement system and addressing  concerns of bias and anomalies prompting resistance to changes in BARC data protocols, the problem of under-representation of niche genres remains.

 
Another subject matter expert emphasised the importance of maintaining proportionally representative sampling, clarifying that merely increasing the sample size won't address the issue. 


“Interestingly, in many Western markets, ratings for niche genres are reported monthly or even once in six months to mitigate fluctuations stemming from small sample sizes. The introduction of rolling averages in this context eliminated such fluctuations,” they said.


Even with the four week rolling average broadcasters had access to unrolled data of their own channels. “Broadcasters always had the option of using these private data for performance analysis and ad rate negotiations,” the expert said. 


The four-week rolling average was initially implemented upon the resumption of news genre ratings after a 17-month hiatus prompted by the alleged BARC TRP scam.
Ratings for the news genre recommenced on March 17 of the previous year, as per the directive of MIB secretary Apurva Chandra.




Debating BARC data for news: Why are stakeholders leaning towards weekly metrics

News18 India has done it again. With a 14.3% market share, the channel is again in the number one position in the HSM market in the Week 34-Week 37 period. The market share has also shown growth between Week 33 and Week 37. Between Week 33 and 36, News18 India had a market share of 14.1%.

Competition numbers are still way behind that of News18 India. TV9 Bharatvarsh, Aaj Tak, India TV and Republic Bharat clocked a market share of 11.7%, 11.4%, 11.1% and 10.5% respectively in Week 34-37. In fact, Aaj Tak and Republic Bharat also showed a drop in market share between Week 33-Week 37. 

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM.jpeg" alt="" width="412" height="341" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2198" />

 In the 1800-2400hrs, TG 15+ HSM (Week 37, All days) market, News18 had a 14.8% market share. The others in the top five in order of rankings were TV Bharatvarsh, Republic Bharat, India TV and Aaj Tak. The channels had market shares of 12.1%, 11.7%, 11.7% and 11.5% respectively. 

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM-1.jpeg" alt="" width="931" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2200" />

 In terms of cumulative reach too, News18 India topped the charts. In the HSM- Urban + Rural, the channel’s reach touched 88447000, way above the second ranking channel TV9 Bharatvarsh that stood at 67914000.Aaj Tak, India TV and Republic Bharat were the other channels in the top five list.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/WhatsApp-Image-2022-09-22-at-12.12.19-PM-2.jpeg" alt="" width="960" height="1024" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2199" />

The return of ratings has been a big relief for the industry, experts said.

“It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making. Ratings form the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made,” said Amol Dighe, CEO, Investments and Business Development, Madison Media, in a separate interview with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series.

Dighe says they saw a change in the pecking order of news channels with the return of the ratings in the genre. “ Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation. As buyers, this needs to be keenly watched and deals will be dynamic till this settles down,” he adds.

News18 India leads the show yet again

News18 India is at an all-time high when it comes to market share. As per the latest BARC data, News18’s average market share in the HSM-Urban + Rural Market stands at 14.1% between week 33 and week 36. Others in the top five list in the same category are far behind. Aaj Tak, TV9 Bharatvarsh, India TV and Republic Bharat clocked a market share of 11.8%, 11.5%, 11% and 10.6% respectively in the same period.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/g2.png" alt="" width="375" height="375" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2060" />

The network’s English offering, CNN News18, has also been on a growth trajectory ever since BARC ratings in the news genre resumed in March this year. In the All India (Urban + Rural), AB15+ category, CNN News18 saw a 2.2% jump in their average market share between the periods of week 33-35 and week 33- 36. The channel holds a 33.4% market share, leaving behind Republic TV at 25.9%, Times Now at 22.5% and India Today Television at 10.0%.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/h2.png" alt="" width="439" height="260" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-2061" />

While ratings have brought more perspective for marketers interested in the genre, investments in news never stopped, said Jai Lala, Chief Executive Officer, Zenith in a separate interview with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series. Lala says there is a school of marketer that believes in perception planning but there is another group that swear by GRPs and TRPs. 

“It's a complete scientific way of planning. These channels go completely by the BARC data. So basically it is data-driven planning. Either way the good part is investments in news never went off the charts and it continues to be an important genre for advertisers,” Lala said.

Lala also highlights the fact that shuffling of rankings have led to change in ad rates too. “Channels that fell from the top ratings had a hard time holding on to the rates they sold inventory for before the blackout period and channels that climbed the chart obviously had new rates,” he said.

News18 widens lead over competition between Week 33-36

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

Media planning has a pre-pandemic and post-pandemic phase. The rules of planning and buying that were a hit two years back are redundant now. Brands are no longer following a yearbook with scheduled spends for particular seasons and planners are motivating them to be proactive and ready all year long.  

“Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising,” says Jai Lala, chief executive officer, Zenith. According to Lala a lot has changed after the pandemic when it comes to advertising. And it's not just ad rates.

Read on

Festive season is round the corner and we can already see fresh campaigns from a lot of brands. What are your observations in terms of spending patterns?

It is safe to say that things are all getting back to normal in terms of the pandemic but there are certain other concerns that impact the overall business ecosystem globally. The Ukraine-Russia war and the existing condition of the global markets, which I wouldn’t call a recession, but the impact of the market movement is having repercussions in India.

While people say things like how the next decade belongs to India, there are certain pullbacks that are happening. The pull backs are happening on two points. There are certain inflationary trends which are happening with commodity prices going up and that is impacting the FMCG players who are seeing a ripple effect of that. This is holding them from spending the kind of money we expected they’d spend around the season. 

Secondly, a lot of VC funding has been restricted. Unlike the beginning of the year or the last year where we saw a lot of new companies putting in a lot of money on advertising and celebrities, we are seeing a little pullback. 

So, coming back to the festive season, there will definitely be growth in spending if we compare it to the previous months but my personal prediction is that we won't see a boom like last year. It will be a little restricted.

However, there is no denying that brands especially in some categories like automobiles who have launches lined up during the season will be spending on impact.



<blockquote>In pre-pandemic times, we were going as per a January to December plan where we’d advertise in the first quarter, go slow in the second and make a comeback and so on and so forth. This pattern in planning went for a complete toss.</blockquote>



There is a lot of cricket coinciding with the festive season. Is it a favorable situation to have the festive period and cricket which is, in a way, a festival in itself, overlapping?

It is definitely a plus. There are more brands that are ready to spend and our observation in the last seven to nine years is that this is a period where there is some sort of cricket going on. Be it a bilateral series or the World Cup or any other series. Mentally we'll have to be prepared that there will be cricket around the festive period and also the fact that there is an opportunity in that and it can be cashed on. So, brands have also started thinking on that line.

The last two years have changed a lot of rules in the marketing and advertising playbook. What are the changes that you think the industry will stick to?

From a marketing standpoint what has happened during the pandemic was that there was a period where everything was shut down followed by a time when things opened up suddenly. So marketers also went from sitting quietly in the lockdown to getting ready to advertise when things started opening. 
What we were doing in the pre-pandemic time was that we were going as per a January to December plan where we’d advertise in the first quarter then go slow in the second and then make a comeback and so on and so forth. 

This pattern in planning went for a complete toss. 

Last year, when the pandemic went low during June-July, a lot of categories came back because they saw an open window which was an opportunity for them. They thought they should be reaching out to their consumers in that period. The June-July period is otherwise a slow period especially for categories like auto. So what the pandemic has done is that it has all of us on our toes. 

We have to be ready all the time. Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising and you can plan your campaigns at any given point of time. The ecosystem has now built itself up in a way that you can plan campaigns in a shorter span of time. Being ready and being proactive is something that has happened for marketers and the trend will stay on.

From a consumer standpoint a lot of viewership has shifted to digital viewership and that continues to remain because it's created a habit. So, there has been a shift from TV. There has been co-viewing which has gone up a lot and connected TV has become very popular. Next is the growth of e-commerce. The pandemic has amplified the expected growth. So all these three changes are here to stay and our planning is now based on these three facets.   



<blockquote>We have to be ready all the time. Marketers have realized that there is no particular season for advertising and you can plan your campaigns at any given point of time. The ecosystem has now built itself up in a way that you can plan campaigns in a shorter span of time.</blockquote>



Digital is growing at a fast pace and everything in the marketing ecosystem is changing around it. How have traditional marketers coped? And how has the role of the planner changed with the addition of digital on every brand’s marketing mandate over the years?

The attitude towards digital has changed dramatically. I would confidently say that there isn’t any advertiser who's looking at digital marketing spends as a complimentary spend. TV has its reach and is not dying but the investment on digital is on an upswing across all categories. A lot of TV heavy brands have now made digital as a key component of their plan.

Coming to the role of a planner, Indian is a complex market with so many different regions, languages, cultures. Planning in India is like planning for Europe. There is no 'one plan that fits all' kinds of shortcuts here. So we are constantly learning and we are trying because the knowledge that was relevant three years back might be completely redundant now. It is an ever evolving job that requires a lot of training. If you are living in a cocoon that you are a TV planner or a digital planner, you must come out of it. Everything is integrated. The planners who are on top of it are the best planners. 

Speaking about the News genre, it’s been six months since BARC ratings have returned. Do you see a change in investments in the genre with the return of ratings?

Investments in news never stopped. There are two schools of thought when it comes to clients. The first set are the ones who believe in GRPs and TRPs. It's a complete scientific way of planning. These channels go completely by the BARC data. So basically it is data-driven planning. The other school of thought believes in something we call perception planning where they also believe in the live data they collect on ground, from trade partners and others and that influences their decision and not just ratings. So we have a very frank discussion with our clients and we plan accordingly. Either way the good part is investments in news never went off the charts and it continues to be an important genre.

When the ratings returned we saw a lot of shuffling in rankings. How did that impact ad rates?

Just because ratings were not there doesn’t mean consumers were not watching. It’s just that there was no measurement. As for shuffling of rankings, obviously there have been changes in ad rates too. Channels that fell from the top ratings had a hard time holding on to the rates they sold inventory for before the blackout period and channels that climbed the chart obviously had new rates.

What would you say are the big trends to watch out for?

We keep pushing clients to spend money on connected TV because it’s definitely going to grow. There is so much good content on digital, people would want to watch it on a large screen. So that is one big change.

The other change is moving away from a planned calendar. Digital is the space to watch out for. The last two years have been very difficult for the industry and now is the time of stabilization. Overall as a medium digital is on a growth trajectory but we will not see any drastic changes in the next two years where digital will become 70 percent of an ad plan. It will hover around the existing 35-40 percent for the next couple of years till we see the next bout of growth.

Media Mavens: ‘No season for advertising, have to be ready all-year,’ says Zenith’s Jai Lala

News18 India is leading the charts in the Hindi TV News space once again. As per the latest BARC data, with a clear majority of 14 percent market share (24 hrs, TG:15+HSM, Week 35’ 2022, All days), the channel has left behind its competitors Aaj Tak that is at 11.8 percent, TV9 Bharatvarsh at 11.4 percent, India TV at 11.1 percent and Republic Bharat at 10.8 percent.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/s1.png" alt="" width="930" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1915" />

The channel’s market share has risen from 13.7 percent in week 34 to 14 percent in week 35, as per BARC data.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/t1.png" alt="" width="691" height="355" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1916" />

During a part of the prime time slot between 21:00 hrs and 22:00 hrs the channel had an even higher market share of 15.8 percent in week 35. The others in the race after News18 India in the top five channels included Republic Bharat at 15.5 percent, India TV at 14.5 percent, Aaj Tak at 13.1 percent and TV 9 Bharatvarsh at 9.9 percent.

<img src="https://images.storyboard18.com/storyboard18/u1.png" alt="" width="956" height="477" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1917" />

In the English General News category too, the network’s English offering CNN News18 has seen steady growth. As per BARC data, between week 31 and 34, in the all India(U+R), AB15+ market, CNN News18 was at a market share of 29.7 percent followed by a 31.2 percent market share in the following period between week 32 and week 35.

The return of BARC ratings in the news genre after a period of close to two years led to a change in pecking order when it comes to the channels fighting for the top five spots. News18 India has been consistently leading the charts ever since.

In separate interviews with Storyboard18 as part of our Media Mavens series, media investments firms' chiefs spoke about the return of BARC ratings and the importance of ratings in decision-making. 

Amol Dighe, CEO, Investments and Business Development, Madison Media, said, "This (BARC ratings' return) has been a big relief. It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making... performance of the channel in terms of ratings forms the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. Then there is reach and affinity which is also critical."

He added that other factors like "what is the kind of value the channel offers to the brands in terms of special deals, integrations, activation etc, also determine the share of investment the channel gets."

BARC ratings are "the singular source of TV measurement right now," said Niti Kumar, COO, Starcom India, in an interview last week. "There is no other way to get the kind of data that BARC gives you and it’s not just for news."  

Kumar shared, "When media planners are evaluating options they need to evaluate a holistic level of growth, across channels, across audiences, markets and so on. Those kinds of cuts don't come from any other source. It's a choice between having no ratings and no data source to help drive your investment versus what BARC gives you. I would always pick sides where you at least have the data available."

News18 India leads 15+HSM market with 14 percent market share in week 35

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

It’s been two quarters since ratings are back, which has spelt good news for media planners and buyers especially as we get into the great Indian festive season or the Golden Quarter, as it is known in the marketing world. Overall there is a lot of media buying happening in the television ecosystem where planners are looking at a long list of factors such as reach, affinity, engagements and integrations before spending any ad money. But that’s not all. The media landscape is fast-changing and through our new series - Media Mavens, we decode the shifts that matter. 

Amol Dighe is CEO, Investments and Business Development at one homegrown media investments company Madison Media. In an interaction with Storyboard18, Dighe talks about how planning and buying is quickly becoming media neutral and tells us how the return of ratings has helped in decision-making. 

Read on

Are you happy with the return of BARC ratings?

This has been a big relief. It always helps to have the measurement mechanism for decision making. Ratings form the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. However, factors like affinity and reach cannot be ignored. 

BARC ratings are back but there has been a change in measurement methodology. Do you think that has impacted ratings?

When the ratings were back, we saw a change in the pecking order of News channels. Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation where the final pecking order does not seem to be settled as of now. We will have to continuously monitor the trends and performance of the category. So yes, managing the flux will be challenging.

We understand ratings are important but what are the other factors that help you choose one channel over the other? 

As I said, performance of the channel in terms of ratings forms the basis on which decisions on channel selection and spends are made. Then there is reach and affinity which is also critical. Other factors like what is the kind of value the channel offers to the brands in terms of special deals, integrations, activation etc, which also determine the share of investment the channel gets. For example, if the brand associates with the channel for an Impact property with content integration etc, then naturally the share of spend on that particular channel will be higher. So, spending on a channel will depend on what role the channel plays for the Brand, in addition to the ratings it garners.

Secondly, trade feedback also becomes important for channel selection. Feedback from various market or consumer surveys in a particular geography are also considered while selecting a channel.

After the ratings returned there was a lot of shuffling in terms of rankings. What about rates? 

When the ratings were back, we saw a change in the pecking order of news channels. Some channels dropped in ratings while some channels saw an increase in their ratings. We are still seeing a fluctuation. As buyers, this needs to be keenly watched and deals will be dynamic till this settles down.

Everyone is always talking about reach but are ad rates and reach directly proportional?

As we have seen, News Channels are not major reach builders. They add some reach in some brand TG’s but the role is largely for building frequency. Combination of factors like frequency, trade pull, affinity, network strength etc., determine the final rates for the news category.

With the festive season round the corner what are the factors you are considering while doing business with a broadcaster? Any genre that is leading the charts?

News Channels should focus more on reach and increasing share of ‘organic content’ and reduce the share of sensational content. They should make the environment more conducive to get more brands on board. They should also try to make News genre attractive for the female by marketing news as an all adult category

News channels could well focus on reach by increasing share of organic content and focusing on monetizing their marquee anchor shows and non FCT elements especially during festivals.

Demand and supply estimation especially during the festive season is critical. Many of the channels have impact properties to leverage the festive demand and the demand for regular inventory is also high. As smart buyers, we have to navigate these challenges to ensure visibility for brands. 

What are the big trends in GEC, especially with the festive season just around the corner? Between GEC and Sports, who has an upper hand during the festive season and why?

There is a lot of action happening in the festive season especially in the GEC and the sports genre. Marquee shows like KBC, Jhalak have already started with Big Boss etc, slated to launch shortly. These shows are big opportunities for brands to build saliency, awareness and launch new communication etc., during the festive season. Also, there are big blockbusters planned during the festivals which help. Brands can ride on the heavy promotion and leverage these properties by product integration, etc.

Ditto with Sports. A packed cricket calendar during the festive season is good news for brands which are heavy on sports. The Asia Cup, Bilateral Series followed by the World Cup is ample enough opportunity for brands.

Are there any big pandemic trends that have continued? With the stay-at-home crowd now out of home, what are the differences in spending patterns that you’ve seen?

Largely, things have settled down. Things are back to pre-pandemic levels in terms of planning. However, dip ratings across genres is a worrisome trend as that’s impacting deliveries.

With digital and an ever-evolving ecosystem how has the role of the media planner and buyer evolved over the years? 

We have seen how digital has evolved so quickly and has become a strong medium for advertisers according to all the media reports. It’s no longer a support medium and has become one of the leading mediums. It’s challenging and at the same time exciting for planners and buyers to build plans now. A lot of creativity and out of box thinking is put in when plans are made now. Bundled deals, integrated deals are in the offering and Networks also have realized that integrated deals are the need of the hour now. Planning and buying is becoming media neutral, which is the right direction.

What are the big trends to watch out for?

With more and more cricket being telecast, it will be critical to monitor the impact on viewership on other genres. Also, it will be interesting to see how the digital medium leverages sport in tandem with TV.

Media Mavens: The return of ratings has been a big relief, says Madison Media’s Amol Dighe

Note to readers: Media Mavens is a new Storyboard18 series featuring media investment firms and power players - the X-Women and X-Men who make the big calls on how and where to spend advertisers' money. This is a peek into their minds - how they work in a dynamic landscape, the next big trends they’re watching for, insights into what advertisers need today, the disruptions driving change and the factors driving their decisions. Watch this space for all that and more.

The fact that BARC ratings are the only currency that the TV ecosystem has, is not up for any debate anymore. The absence of ratings in the news genre made it clear how difficult it is for the advertisers, the media agencies and the broadcasters to do business.

Why exactly?

“News is probably the best frequency builder for advertisers today, given the coverage it can provide in a country like India with so many regional languages and nuances and ratings just helps in validating the decisions that we as planners take and the choice of channels,” says Sanchita Roy, Havas Media Group India.

Read on

It’s been close to six months that BARC ratings are back for the news genre. How has it helped in decision making, especially since the last two years had no rating system in place for the genre?

We have seen an exponential growth in News as a genre on the back of the pandemic and other global crises. There will always be a demand for News, the platform for consumption however may change. 
Intuitively, all of us would agree that the genre works/delivers even with no ratings. Ratings just help in validating the decisions that we as planners take and the choice of channels. Not only that, ratings also allow one to rationalize the cost, thereby bringing in more efficiencies for advertisers/clients.

How important are ratings when it comes to media investments and spending ad money? What are the other factors you consider?

What drives ratings today is engagement, the quality of audience and the audience experience with content on the platform. Today audiences are exposed to a plethora of content that is easily accessible across multiple platforms. Therefore, it becomes so much more important to ensure that you not only have the right reach and distribution but also the right content, which in turn would lead to higher time spent/engagement on the platforms. That determines the ratings. So, the more time audiences spend watching a channel/program, the higher its ratings will be. This is true for all genres, including news. 

Currently, BARC is the only currency that is there in the industry basis which millions are being spent. Any consumer connect will obviously throw some light on what is working on-ground in terms of channels/programs but to arrive at efficiencies you need a proper metric on which to base your decisions. The reality is BARC throws light only on TV viewership data. However, there is a lot of news consumption that is also happening on digital platforms today which unfortunately is not getting captured anywhere. This, I think, is the biggest challenge facing our industry today but in the absence of any other data source, the only option is to look at BARC. 

How critical is reach for a news broadcaster? Are ad rates and reach directly proportional?

Reach is the number of people who watch a particular channel within a specified period of time. The first requirement for any channel is to ensure sufficient distribution/coverage so as to ensure maximum exposure to the potential audience base. News is probably the best frequency builder for advertisers today, given the coverage it can provide in a country like India with so many regional languages and nuances.

Talking of reach, how do you think having a strong digital presence helps in amplification? Do you give more preference to networks that offer bundled deals?

Today, there is a lot of media consumption that is happening across multiple digital channels through the smartphone. Therefore, having a strong digital presence not only helps in amplification but also ensures that one is reaching out to the potential audience set no matter where the consumption is happening.

Secondly, campaign objectives determine the deals that we buy on behalf of our clients. So if a client brief demands that we look at offline plus online presence on news as a genre we will go ahead and do it. Finally, it’s about understanding the consumer decision journey that will form the base of all recommendations.

With the festive season around the corner, what are the factors you are considering while doing business with a broadcaster? Any genre that is leading the charts?

Again, it’s a very fragmented media ecosystem today, you need to be present across genres to ensure maximum visibility, especially during the festive season which is otherwise very cluttered. Hence, depending on what the end goals are we would be looking at options with broadcasters to better deliver on our client’s business objectives.