BARC 'Selects Five' for TV Ratings Technology

According to reports, India's Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has shortlisted five bidders for the technology section of its soon-to-be-launched television ratings system. TAM Media Research is not said to be amongst them, although both its backers, Nielsen and Kantar, are.

BARC was established in 2010 as an umbrella organisation which oversees and controls the television audience measurement system across India. Last year, the organisation linked with the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) to act as a joint body which will evaluate the sector's research needs.

In January, BARC issued an invitation to tender for its new TV audience measurement approach. According to a BARC insider quoted on online news site Best Media, an 'overwhelming' response has now been whittled down to a shortlist of Kantar Media, Nielsen, Civolution, Cross-tab and DA Media. Significantly, TAM put in a bid, but did not make it to the shortlist.

TAM's recent round of tribulations began last summer when New Delhi Television (NDTV) filed a lawsuit against Nielsen and Kantar, claiming that staff at the joint venture took bribes in exchange for overstating ratings. Earlier this year, India's fair trade regulator the CCI invited the country's broadcasters, media buying and ad agencies to send feedback on their views of TAM, as it investigated these claims of unfair practices.