While the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) granted Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India permission to share Respondent Level Data (RLD) with broadcasters, some news channels said they are still waiting for the TV ratings body to share more details on the procedure, guidelines and the cost.
"Right now, nothing is clear because we haven't received any guidelines from BARC India, nor do we know anything about the procedure. I believe it will take a week to get a clear picture," stated the CEO of a major news channel.
Another news broadcaster stated that it is too early to predict how the data will affect the news genre. "We have to wait for the details on the data and the cost, and only then will we be able to figure out how this will work," he continued.
He went on to say, "For some broadcasters, it's a good decision, and for others, it's not." Channels can use RLD to determine which market and town to target, as well as how people consume news from the channel. I'm not sure Respondent Level Data will bring value to news, which is a commoditized business."
Another senior industry leader shared that there will be no major impact from an external perspective. "Internally, it will help better content planning," he mentioned.
As earlier reported by e4m, on September 14, the government, in a meeting called by I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra, conveyed its approval to BARC India officials to share with broadcasters Respondent Level Data, which it is already sharing with advertisers and agencies. BARC had asked the MIB to clarify whether it wants the ratings body to share with broadcasters Raw Level Data or Respondent Level Data. The ratings agency had sought clarity from the MIB as there was a confusion over the interpretation of the term ‘RLD’.
The confusion happened because in its letter sent to BARC on August 10, the ministry asked the ratings body to give the data that they “are already sharing with advertisers and media agencies.” However, the data has been referred to as Raw Level Data. But actually, it’s the Respondent Level Data which is being shared with the advertisers and agencies. Hence BARC had sought a clarification on the matter.
Raw Level Data refers to the information gathered from households by people meters. It is essentially unprocessed data, lacking any outlier exclusion. On the other hand, Respondent Level Data is the result of applying outlier management tools and algorithms to the raw data. In simpler terms, it can be described as the ultimate data that is recognized as TRPs (Television Rating Points).
Meanwhile, e4m has also reported that BARC is set to close the price at which the Respondent Level Data will be made available to the broadcasters. As of now only agencies have access to Respondent Level Data at a cost of Rs 60 lakh per annum. Sources in the industry claim that BARC is planning to make the Respondent Level Data available to broadcasters at a more reasonable price compared to what agencies pay for it. While a few sources claimed that it might be close to 50% less than what agencies pay, others said it can be as low as 1/3rd of the cost agencies are paying now.
Suggestions for the price at which the data should be made available has been shared with the BARC board members for approval. It is believed that most of the members are yet to come back with a reply.
