BARC ropes in Nielsen to study Indian TV viewing and ownership patterns

Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India on Thursday said it has appointed Nielsen to conduct the country's largest Universe Estimation study on television ownership and viewing habits.

As part of the study, Nielsen will cover 3 lakh households sample size, and the first round of findings will be released by BARC in early 2016. "This by far is the largest such study. The technology used ensures a quick turnaround, hence the data will not get dated when it is released," BARC India said in a statement.

The study will be conducted using innovative technology, and with a digital focus. Tools and methods like Computer Aided Personal Interviews, GPS technology and Phone number validation via OTPs will be deployed to ensure greater efficiency in the interview process, increased accuracy and transparency through the end to end process, it said. "As we introduce a new system of television ratings in the country, we are also cognisant of the need to understand the changing television audience across the country. "This pioneering study will help address many questions faced by the industry today, and be a ready reckoner for marketers and advertisers, besides helping the panel expansion for television measurement," BARC India Chief Executive Officer Partho Dasgupta said.

The study will provide the marketing industry with an in-depth understanding on count and composition of television households in the country, with updated numbers over time as industry currency, addressing questions such as number of televisions per household, viewers and viewing habits. It will also gather data on <g data-gr-id="23">television owning</g> households in small towns and rural India.

The study will also capture the paradigm shift in content viewing between linear mediums like the television set and also digital mediums such as smartphones, tablets and PCs.

"Our vast infrastructure, quality processes and latest technology in data capture and world-class standards, lend a perfect combination to ensure that this study gets completed in record time," Nielsen India Managing Director Prashant Singh said.