Advertisers brace for major reset with unrolling of news viewership data

New Delhi: Advertisers across business categories have wholeheartedly welcomed BARC India’s decision to return to the unrolled data reporting regime for all genres, including news, starting Thursday with the release of data for Week 24.

The decision follows exclusive investigative reporting by BestMediaInfo.com, which exposed anomalies and industry concerns around Operation Sindoor’s ratings.

Also read: BARC’s shift to weekly unrolled ratings: What it means for news genre

Multiple advertisers spoken to by BestMediaInfo.com cited more pros than cons with regard to the expected impact of the decision.

Advertisers, who had grown comfortable with the rolling regime due to a smoother decision-making process, appeared apprehensive about potential disruptions caused by the transition.

Also read: BMI Impact: BARC India to report unrolled viewership data for news genre

On the other hand, a vast majority of advertisers believe this change will add greater transparency to data reporting.

Calling it a welcome move, Mayank Shah, Vice-President, Parle Products, said the unrolling would bring in more transparency.

“We will know exactly what is happening. It will definitely be helpful. We feel that’s a progressive step,” Shah said.

Also read: BARC India vindicates BestMediaInfo’s case against four-week rolling average

Once a big spender on news television, Parle Products had withdrawn from the genre long ago due to alleged toxicity on news channels. However, the biscuits and confectionery giant temporarily supported the genre during the Covid-19 pandemic.

When asked if unrolling offers any specific advantage to Parle Products, Shah said, “We would know the actual ratings for specific events, which will enable us to justify our spends. So, I think this would definitely help us in terms of at least ensuring that we get to know the actual viewership.”

Also read: Operation Sindoor least-watched major event in nine years; whose time is up?

According to Surendra Bajaj, Vice President - Marketing, Lux Industries, the move will have a lukewarm effect on brands in their category. “We are not a brand that is primarily data-driven. Rather, data only accounts for 40%, while the rest is market perception for us.” 

Bajaj argued that if an advertiser goes only by data and does not factor in market perception, there are multiple news channels who would not be able to quote the rates that they do currently. Hence, Bajaj noted, data does play a role but the market perception commands more dominance in negotiation of ad rates on news channels. 

Hence, according to Bajaj, the unrolling of data might not affect their category greatly but will definitely provide a better transparency. Bajaj explained how having weekly data will be more beneficial and it will make it easier for brands to tap into the spikes in viewership.

A senior executive at a large media agency, who did not want to be named, told BestMediaInfo.com that the ratings will get reset.

“Till now, there was a particular expectation that the ratings would be a certain amount for a news channel because they’ve been giving the average data. However, the minute they unroll it, the benchmarks will change,” the executive said.

The transition is expected to disrupt media planning in the short term.

“Now we don't know what ratings to expect for news. If I have made a plan where I had expected 100 GRPs, it may be 90, it may become 120, also. So now there will be a period of a little bit of uncertainty before new benchmarks get set,” the agency executive explained, adding that it will give a clearer view despite the risk of fluctuation.

Analysing the impact of the unrolling, the agency executive said that the reset would apply to everyone, including channels, advertisers, and agencies, because now there is no benchmark. “The minute the averaging is removed, the spikes and peaks will be visible. It will be good that we will get a realistic picture, provided the data is stable.”

When asked how much time it may take for the data to stabilise, a senior marketer who previously held a TechCom seat said that there is no question of data stabilisation as everything, except for reporting, remains the same.

“Only the spikes which were averaged out will be visible. The four-week rolling average had discouraged many advertisers who used to spend on news strategically. In the rolling regime, they were unable to justify their spends. The decision to unroll is expected to give them a reason to return to advertising on the news genre,” the marketer added.