BARC India set to deploy premium panels with capability to measure CTV

New Delhi: BARC India is set to deploy about 5,000 panels in super-premium homes to measure viewership patterns, BARC India chairman Shashi Sinha told BestMediaInfo.com.

“The metres for premium panels, which can measure CTV along with HD, would arrive in a month. However, seeding those metres in super premium households will take time. Recruiting these homes will also be equally challenging,” Sinha said.

It would be household data measuring what is being watched in premium homes.

“HD channels are already watermarked while the broadcasters will have to watermark their CTV content if they want them to be measured. The discussion on watermarking CTV content and its measurement is yet to take place but I’m sure the broadcasters will slowly come in,” he added.

Sinha refrained from commenting about the deadline to start measuring the super-premium homes, citing challenges in seeding metres.

While BARC India’s preparedness for CTV measurement bolsters the efforts for unified measurement, it may hit several roadblocks similar to what EKAM faced.

It may be recalled that platforms such as Google and Meta along with OTT apps were accused of blocking EKAM.

However, industry experts argued that measuring CTV is different from EKAM, which was supposed to be a cross-platform measurement including mobile devices. 

“The CTV market is growing at a fast pace without a concrete third-party measurement. As a result, advertisers are relying upon industry estimates and the data provided by the broadcaster. With CTV taking centre stage in advertisers’ media plans, most of the broadcasters are expected to come on board once BARC India is ready with the capabilities,” said an industry veteran.

In a related development, the global measurement firm comScore is conducting surveys in the country to launch a CTV study aimed at providing comprehensive audience measurement for broadcasters and publishers.