The Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) has asked its members to make an informed decision on running ads on platforms that are looking to pull out of the Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) India.
The ISA has said this in an advisory sent to all members of the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) in April, and seen by News18.
“Attention of advertisers is invited to practice of some platforms which do not subscribe to the established system of advertisement measurement jointly agreed by all stakeholders— advertisers, agencies, and broadcasters,” the note says.
Some ISA members, sources indicate, may adopt a ‘no measurement, no advertising’ approach in case certain broadcasters dump the BARC ratings.
The BARC began reporting news ratings on March 17, after a 17-month break, following a directive from the ministry of information and broadcasting.
The audience estimates in the news sector along with infotainment channels are being released on a four-week rolling average basis.
NDTV Limited, which owns and operates NDTV 24×7 and NDTV India, has withdrawn from BARC India, citing alleged discrepancies in the rating system.
The news broadcasters are unhappy since they feel that the BARC is yet to resolve their issues like misuse of landing page for viewership gain, delay in conducting Broadcast India study, and the likelihood of panel tampering by unscrupulous elements.
According to industry insiders, the BARC not carrying out a Broadcast India (BI) study has led to many news channels feeling disgruntled.
The study plays a key role in the BARC panel recruitment process. There is also concern among stakeholders as television viewership is falling despite the growing TV penetration in the country.
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