NEWS17 July 2013
INDIA — Advertisers are threatening to pull their ads from eight TV groups that have abandoned weekly ratings releases in favour of monthly figures, according to reports.
The broadcasters, including Multi Screen Media and New Delhi Television, are among those who threatened to withdraw from the country’s TV ratings system, operated by TAM Media Research, in a dispute over the accuracy of reported audience numbers.
According to a Live Mint report last week, the eight broadcasters had negotiated a change to TAM’s data release practices – switching from weekly reports of audience share to monthly reports of absolute viewer numbers.
However, according to the Business Standard, advertisers have written to the broadcasters objecting to the change and threatening to cancel their ads if the broadcasters don’t agree to revert back to weekly ratings releases.
Indian Society of Advertisers media chairman and Hindustan Unilever executive director Hemant Bakshi said: “What we have asked for is that we have had a system in India which has been in practice for the past 14 years. If at all we are making any change, it should not be done unilaterally, but in discussion with all stakeholders in the industry. Until we can be sure of the measurement system, we would like to continue with the old system of weekly ratings.”