Don’t Trust BARC Ratings

An investigation suggests BARC is easily manipulated. Households claim they’re paid in cash to watch certain channels so that their ratings improve.

WrittenBy:Telugu360
Date:
Article image
  • Share this article on whatsapp

It’s called ‘cash for watch’. Watch a channel so that its ratings on BARC improve, get cash.

subscription-appeal-image

Support Independent Media

The media must be free and fair, uninfluenced by corporate or state interests. That's why you, the public, need to pay to keep news free.

Contribute

This story was originally published on Telugu 360, which has carried out an investigation into how BARC ratings can be manipulated.
A Telugu360 investigation reveals Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) ratings have been abused by TV channels to the core — just pay Rs 1000 per month per household. The BARC system was supposed to be a monumental shift and increase the transparency in the ratings system. However, BARC ratings agency’s methodology and standards have been mediocre at best. A number of media heads and advertising executives are opining that Nielsen-led TAM is way superior to the BARC ratings. Nielsen bought international expertise to the ratings system.
So what exactly ails BARC, which was supposed to help advertisers get value for their advertising dollars?
Telugu 360, after its teams’ field visits, scans the reason for the failure of BARC system. “TAM was bad, but they had systems in place as they were an international collaboration. BARC is rotten as they are like and Indian subzi–mandi” – so says an Indian News TV channel’s editorial head.
BARC is using Hansa Research Group for collection of data at the ground level. Hansa team is a survey agency sans training or sophistication. Its employees are highly underpaid. A person who heads two state operations is paid Rs 20,000 per month.
Hansa Team is busy doing surveys for business houses, political parties and politicians (most of their election-related predictions were wrong). They have close proximity with media and business houses at local level. In fact, Hansa does all the surveys for a top political leader in Andhra Pradesh, who also happens to own a media house.
Hansa employees have access to local TV channels. They approached the channels offering them good ratings for an attractive price. Hansa’s team has threatened channels who do not pay them on a monthly basis. On the flip side, TV channels that tie up with them are rewarded with good BARC ratings.

Entire households’ data is with state headquarters in their dilapidated office computers without any security. This data is accessible to anyone who walks into the office for a survey assignment.
BARC has recruited ex-TAM employees who were notorious for their corruption while employed with TAM. There are also persons who have been sacked by TAM on corruption charges and have since been employed by BARC.
Hansa employees ensure that some of the meters are fixed in their relative or friend’s homes. In the video below, we can see that brother of this person is an employee of BARC:

BARC households are the poorest of the poor, who are in dire need of money. When employees keep the metre and offer monthly payments to watch channels, the families grab it with both hands so that their meagre earnings can be bolstered. When there is an enquiry, they repeat whatever coaching they received from the local BARC person.

Watch times are closely monitored by the local BARC employee, as they know what duration is to be assigned so as to avoid getting flagged. If a channel is not paying them, they also take revenge on that channel by asking their homes to watch that channel for a longer duration, thereby ensuring the channel concerned is flagged. This creates fear in the channels and they are forced to compromise with the BARC employee.

It is high time BARC cleans up the ratings system as tens of thousands of crores rides on these ratings. BARC Leadership has to tap in ratings expertise from international firms such as Nielsen and make the ratings system more scientific.

subscription-appeal-image

Power NL-TNM Election Fund

General elections are around the corner, and Newslaundry and The News Minute have ambitious plans together to focus on the issues that really matter to the voter. From political funding to battleground states, media coverage to 10 years of Modi, choose a project you would like to support and power our journalism.

Ground reportage is central to public interest journalism. Only readers like you can make it possible. Will you?

Support now

You may also like