BARC's new milestone: Watermarked channels crosses 400-mark

While 429 channels have adopted watermarking, if one takes into account language feeds of channels, the number climbs to 457

BestMediaInfo Bureau | Mumbai | January 8, 2016

Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has achieved another significant milestone within the very first year of its operations. The subscriber base of TV channels which have signed up for its watermarking technology has crossed the 400 mark, 429 to be precise. If one takes into account the various language feeds of channels, that number actually climbs to 457, as BARC India is watermarking 28 language feeds separately.

BARC India started rolling out viewership data in end-April last year with 277 channels signing up for its watermarking technology, and in the short span of eight months, it has witnessed a rapid acceleration of broadcasters adopting the technology, which is the starting point for BARC India's future-proof audience measurement system.

The technology has been adopted by not just broadcasters with an all-India market, but also by regional broadcasters across the spectrum. Of the 429 channels that have adopted the Watermarking technology, 195 are 'All India' channels and HSM (Hindi Speaking Market) channels.

Of these, 131 channels are from the South comprising markets of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry (42), Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (39), Karnataka (27) and Kerala (23).

Of the other key TV markets in India, 18 channels are from West Bengal and 17 from Maharashtra and Goa (for the updated list of channels who have adopted the WM technology, please visit the home page of BARC India's website www.barcindia.co.in).

BARC India contracted Kantar Media's team (previously part of Civolution) to supply the watermarking technology that underpins the world's largest audience measurement system.

“We are happy to have partnered with BARC India to deploy our watermarking technology. With so many new ways of distributing and consuming TV and video content, Kantar Media's solutions enable BARC India to detect content wherever and whenever it's consumed,” said Jean Michel Masson, Global Director of Watermarking Solutions, Kantar Media.

“We have been able to cross the 400-channel mark in a short span since our launch. This is an achievement and the team at BARC India has done a great job to achieve this target. I am thankful to Civolution and Cineom for their support and technology,” said Partho Dasgupta, CEO, BARC India.

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