Ministry of Information & Broadcasting asks BARC to share ‘Respondent Level Data’ with broadcasters

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) on Thursday, authorised Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India to share Respondent Level Data (RLD) with news channels and broadcasters. The approval was communicated through a meeting called I&B Secretary Apurva Chandra.

As per reports, BARC India had asked MIB to elucidate if it wants the body to share Raw Level Data or Respondent Level Data. BARC sought clarity from the Ministry as there was confusion with respect to the interpretation of the term ‘RLD’. The MIB had asked BARC to share the data that they “are already sharing with advertisers and media agencies,” in the letter sent to the ratings body on August 10. The confusion arose because the data being referred to here was the Raw Level Data. However, it is actually the Respondent Level Data that is being shared with agencies and advertisers. Hence, the need for clarification.

Raw Level Data is essentially unprocessed data. It is the information obtained rom households through people meters. It does not have any outlier exclusion. Whereas, Respondent Level Data is the product of using outlier management tools and other algorithms on Raw Level Data. In other words, it is Respondent Level Data that is recognised as Television Rating Points (TRPs). Storyboard18