BARC brings back TV + OOH viewership service on the eve of IPL 2023; includes all watermarked channels

On the eve of IPL 2023, BARC India is restarting out-of-home TV viewership data beginning with Week 12, 2023, which releases on March 30, 2023.

OOH viewership products were first launched in 2018 as a pre-subscribed service available for subscribers, who wanted to be a part of the monitoring. The service was suspended in 2020 in view of Covid19.

Being the largest cricketing tournament, BARC has been introducing new services.

Months before the launch of OOH services, the joint industry body launched the “PreView” service in April 2018 with Star India as the first customer to get the viewership data for the opening match of IPL 2018, a week before the rest of the world.

In its new avatar, the OOH service will include all watermarked channels and their viewership data will consist of both the TV + OOH viewership they garner.

In a communication sent to its subscribers, BARC said, “All watermarked channels will be reported with both the TV + OOH viewership they garner, thereby making it a comprehensive aggregation of audiences on the linear TV screen.”

“With normalcy having returned, and people visiting restaurants and cafes considerably more frequently for out-of-home entertainment, this viewing segment is once again playing a significant role. It has become increasingly critical to address and account for OOH viewership to evaluate the true reach of TV,” the TV measurement body said.

“In view of this development, the BARC India Board has reviewed the matter and concluded that with the growing importance of this segment of collective viewing, OOH TV measurement should be included in the weekly currency. It was also decided that, unlike the earlier avatar, now all watermarked channels will be reported with both the TV + OOH viewership they garner, thereby making it a comprehensive aggregation of audiences on the linear TV screen,” it added.

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