India suspends TAM service ahead of digital switchover

Measurement body TAM – a joint venture between Nielsen and Kantar – the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), the Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI) and the Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) released a joint statement confirming that the service would resume on 19 December, amid fears that “discrepancies” could creep into the data as a result of the digital change.

The statement said: “The broadcasting industry is of the view that during the transition process from analogue signals to the digital environment, there could have been discrepancies in TAM’s reporting of data, which could have had serious implications, particularly for the broadcasters, not only in terms of finance but also in terms of credibility.”

Data for the period while the ratings are suspended will still be validated by TAM and a representative from the IBF, AAAI and ISA.