MUMBAI: Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India is integrating TV and out of home (OOH) TV viewership in its BARC India Media Workstation (BMW) software, starting this year. It has also expanded the coverage of its OOH TV viewership measurement service to 120+ urban towns and cities beyond the launch phase of Delhi, Mumbai and Bangalore.

This also comes at a time when BARC India has expanded its panel to 40,000 metered homes within the committed timeline of March 2019.

This integration of in-home and OOH TV viewing will allow BARC India subscribers to understand the overall viewership garnered on TV and the combined impact of the two mediums.

BARC India CEO Partho Dasgupta said, “Innovation is a part of our DNA at BARC India and it has always been our resolve to empower the industry with deeper and sharper insights into the TV viewing habits of Indians, irrespective of the screen or pipe. Our latest OOH offering is one such endeavor and we are sure that it will unlock great value for the entire broadcast ecosystem with big-ticket events like Cricket World Cup and Indian Premier League coming up.”

The service will allow broadcasters and advertisers uncover more value and insights into the TV viewing behaviours both inside and outside the home. The data will also be available in the planning module for agencies to plan effectively and account for this audience.

An establishment study conducted for OOH measurement revealed that of the 836 million TV-owning individuals, at least 10 per cent prefer visiting restaurants and eateries at least once a week. It was also observed that 13.5 per cent of these TV viewing individuals visit said social eateries on a Sunday. The new TV + OOH measurement will enable tracking the TV viewing drive of such individuals from their homes to these social hot-spots.