Anomalies in IRS data push BARC viewership data rollout

The Indian Readership Survey (IRS) data released early this year and the flawscited in the following months have put a halt to the process at the Broadcast Research Audience Council (BARC), which was devised to set up an alternative TV ratings management system in India with a self-imposed deadline of October 2014.

In a recent interview given to a publication, media honcho and BARC Chairman Punit Goenka, MD and CEO at ZEEL stated that there are certain issues which they are facing with regards to the IRS data that is in abeyance till a third-party validation following hue and cry by the publishers fraternity, thus putting BARC in a fix at the panel planning level.

For reference, BARC had commissioned the IRS to supply it with the baseline study for the panel designing at BARC. But as the IRS data has withdrawn the survey, the council does not have the baseline study to start its next level planning. Until the council has that data the panel designing cannot happen. According to sources, the deployment of the peoplemeters depends on the panel design. Once the design is in place, then only will BARC be ready to recruit the panel houses.

As the process is interlinked, understandably there is a delay in BARC data rollout. Though sources state that the delay is substantial, they refrained from giving out any number. The source also shared that while the delay is anticipated, the ratings should be available before the end of this year.

This senior official reminds that the problem roots back to IRS data 2013 released early this year, which had surprised and shocked many, and invited harsh criticism from as many as 18 publications. It may be recollected that The Indian Newspaper Society and Association of Indian Magazines (AIM) had threatened to pull out subscriptions if Media Research Users Council (MRUC) did not withdraw the data. Later, the MRUC board and the managing committee of the Readership Studies Council of India (RSCI), based on recommendations of its sub-committee, decided to keep the data in abeyance till the completion of a revalidation and audit of the field work. Sources say that this issue has in many ways put the MRUC’s credibility and the very existence of Council in question.

It is for time to wait and watch how and when the country will have a new measurement system in place.