The Group CEO of Viacom18 Mr. Sudhanshu Vats, has commented on Yesterday’s news related to the completion of JV formation announced between TAM and BARC.
Expressing his satisfaction and happiness over the historic development, Mr. Vats said, “This merger will have a positive impact on 3 fronts. Firstly, it will expedite the expansion of the measurement system in terms of both sample size and data depth. Secondly, it will ensure that there is only one currency that the media and entertainment industry deals in, thereby, increasing transparency in the system. Given that our audience is diverse and their content consumption habit is complex, this consolidation will allow seamless and accurate mapping of Indian television viewership.”
By virtue of the JV between BARC India and TAM India, the new entity called Meterology Data Pvt Ltd. (MDL) was formed and it will commence its operations in the next couple of weeks as TAM India exits TV viewership measurement business effective 29th February 2016.
As a part of the new system, all TAM India meters will be re-deployed in panel homes selected by BARC India’s sample design. This JV will help BARC India in growing its sample size almost to double with immediate effect.
In MDL, BARC India will have full management control with a 51% stake, while TAM India – which includes Nielsen and Kantar – will have a 49% stake.
MDL’s role will be to run and manage the meter operations and supplying raw data to BARC India. TV Viewership data will be computed and disseminated through BMW (BARC India Media Workstation). MDL will manage the panel households and will also be responsible for future TV panel expansions.
