About Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC):

• It is a joint industry company founded by stakeholder bodies that represent Broadcasters, Advertisers and Advertising & Advertising Agencies.
• It owns and manages a transparent, accurate, and inclusive TV audience measurement system.
• Established in 2010, the BARC has since been the sole body which can measure and publish television audience data in the country.
• It is based in Mumbai, India.

What is Television Rating Point (TRP)?

• It is a metric used to measure the popularity and viewership of television programs.
• The more viewers a program has, the higher its TRP rating.
• It is calculated by measuring the viewership of a particular program over a period of time, usually a week.
• TRP ratings are used by broadcasters and advertisers to determine the popularity of different TV programs.
• According to the TRP of a TV channel or programme, advertisers decide where to display their advertisements, and investors will decide about the investment of the money.

How is TRP Calculated in India?

• In India, TRP is calculated by BARC using “BAR-O-meters” that are installed in televisions in selected households.
• It uses audio watermark technology to measure viewership of TV channels, and it also measures time-shifted viewing and simulcasts.
• These gadgets record data about the channel or programme watched by the family members or selected people. This method is called the People meters.
• In this way, some thousand viewers are surveyed in the form of justice and sampling.
• The data is then extrapolated to estimate the viewership of the entire population.
• Another method is known as picture matching, where the people meter records a small portion of the picture that is being watched on the TV.
  • This data is collected from a set of homes in the form of pictures and later on is analysed to calculate the TRPs.
• The BARC releases weekly TRP results every Thursday ranking all TV channels and TV programmes.