BARC resumes ratings after TRP scam probe

The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has resumed the ratings for individual news channels with the release of data for Week 10, 2022, on Wednesday.

Following an industry-wide consultative process, the BARC Team, along with the BARC TechComm, developed the 'Augmented Data Reporting Standards for News and Special Interest' genres, aligned with the industry’s needs.

As per these revised approved standards, audience estimates for these genres will only be released based on a four-week rolling average, every week.

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A level playing field has been ensured for all channels within the BARC ecosystem with a single YUMI (analytics) login access to the audience estimates. There is also no change in the weekly data release cadence, which enables seamless planning.

“Sensitive to the industry’s need for past data for informed and equitable decision making, and as advised, BARC India will also release data for the previous 13 weeks, i.e., for the period of Week 49, 2021 to Week 9, 2022, only for the channels that have not chosen to opt out from receiving this data, which will also be based on a 4-week rolling average. This data will be released over the next 3 working days,” the BARC said in a statement.

The resumption takes place nearly 17 months after it was suspended after an investigation by the Mumbai Police vis-a-vis some TV channels—in what was described as a TRP scam.

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