BARC and TAM Prepare 'Meterology' JV Launch

In India, TV rating body BARC and Nielsen/Kantar joint venture TAM India have formally launched their meter management company, Meterology Data Pvt Ltd. (MDL). BARC will have full control with a 51 percent stake in MDL, while TAM India will own 49 percent.

BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) was launched last May. Plans to set up a new meter management company were first announced last August, and MDL will begin operating in the next couple of weeks as TAM India exits the ratings business at the end of this month. As a part of the new system, TAM India's 12,000 meters will be re-deployed in panel homes selected by BARC, and the JV will provide BARC with a larger TV panel sample base.

Up to this point, BARC and TAM India have been generating and reporting separate TV viewership data, but with the JV launch BARC India is now the sole provider. MDL's role will be to run and manage the meter operations and supply raw data to BARC, while TV viewership data will be computed and disseminated through BMW (BARC India Media Workstation). MDL will also manage the panel households and be responsible for future TV panel expansions.

BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta (pictured) comments: 'The Industry was eagerly waiting for this merger to be completed from the time we announced it in August last year. We are happy to state that the joint venture company is complete and all set to kick-off operations'.

Web sites: www.barcindia.co.in and www.tamindia.com .

All articles 2006-23 written and edited by Mel Crowther and/or Nick Thomas, 2024- by Nick Thomas, unless otherwise stated.

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