The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India's (TRAI) much talked about recommendation of multiple rating agencies has set the ball rolling for the formulation of the National Broadcasting Policy 2024.  

While an intense debate is going on whether the industry really needs multiple agencies, industry veterans believe that TAM, a media data intelligence firm, could bag the mandate of becoming the second official rating agency in India after the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). Notably, TAM applied for a license at the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to become an official ratings and audience measurement body about a year ago. 

A joint venture between Nielsen (USA) and Kantar (UK), TAM had been the TV rating agency much before the current rating agency, BARC, came into existence. 

Since the new Central government is formed and TRAI recommendations are out, the ministry may consider TAM's application for the license now. There should not be any problem in getting the licence, especially since TAM had been a rating agency in the past, experts opined. 

TAM, which currently monitors advertising expenditure and audience behaviours across platforms, has been preparing the blueprint for the ratings services ever since it applied for licence, sources said. 

e4m ereached out to MIB secretary Sanjay Jaju to understand how soon the ministry wants to set the ball rolling. His response is awaited. 

India’s history of rating & measurement 

India’s first rating agency’s tag goes to ORG-MARG’s INTAM (Indian National Television Audience Measurement) which was established in 1994 with a limited sample size restricted to major cities. 

TAM was the second ratings agency when it started operations in 1998. However, INTAM and TAM were merged in 2001. Another measurement agency Audience Measurement and Analytics Ltd. (aMap) entered the scene in 2007. 

By 2008, TAM Media Research and aMap were the primary providers of television rating services in India. TAM became the sole provider of television rating services commercially after aMap discontinued its services in 2011. 

Meanwhile, concerns about the credibility of the rating system in India prompted the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to seek TRAI’s recommendations in 2008. TRAI recommended government regulation and the establishment of an industry-led body, resulting in the formation of the BARC. BARC was accredited by MIB on July 28, 2015, to carry out television ratings, leading TAM Media Research to discontinue its operations.

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