BARC India Appoints Nielsen for Digital Measurement

BARC India has appointed Nielsen India as its primary digital measurement partner. Nielsen will fuse its global experience with India-specific adaptations to meet unique needs of the Indian market. BARC India’s digital products will be powered by Nielsen, which will help integrate the TV and digital service eventually. The process of identifying a digital measurement provider was kick-started with a request for information (RFI) earlier, which was followed up with a request for proposal (RFP) from interested companies last year. A rigorous proof of concept (POC) testing was conducted with three shortlisted companies across 3–6 months following in which Nielsen was selected on the strength of its demonstrated capabilities.

The EKAM suite of products will enable comprehensive video measurement, i.e., all video (ads and content) played across TV and digital platforms. BARC India will roll out the first EKAM product (Pulse) which will measure video ad campaigns to enable daily evaluation and optimization opportunities on more impactful ROI metrics. With EKAM, the industry will be able to transact on a common currency with transparency. The EKAM range of products which will be launched in a phased manner, will also address the issue of viewability and ad fraud. BARC India’s offering will ensure consistency, comparability, and enhanced ability to de-duplicate audiences across sites, platforms, and devices.