BARC India and TAM India Complete Joint Venture Formation

MUMBAI, Feb. 10, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The joint venture between BARC India and TAM India launches today with the formation of the meter management company. This new entity, christened Meterology Data Pvt Ltd. (MDL) will commence operations in the next couple of weeks as TAM India exits TV viewership measurement business effective 29 February, 2016. As part of the new system, all TAM meters will be re-deployed in panel homes selected by BARC India's sample design. This JV will help BARC India in growing its sample size.

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In MDL, BARC India will have full management control with 51% stake, while TAM India - which includes Nielsen and Kantar - will have 49% stake. With the completion of this JV, BARC India will be the single provider of TV Viewership data. MDL's role will be to run and manage meter operations and supply raw data to BARC India.

"The Industry was eagerly waiting for this merger to be completed from the time we announced it in August last year. We are happy to state that the Joint Venture Company is complete and all set to kick-off operations," said BARC India CEO, Partho Dasgupta.

"We will work closely with BARC to ensure a good outcome for the industry and our joint clients. We have worked productively with BARC to get here and under the circumstances, have agreed a good way forward for everyone concerned," said Kantar CEO Eric Salama.

"We are happy to collaborate with BARC India. The coming together of BARC India and TAM India has only strengthened the Indian broadcast industry, as they will now be getting viewership trends from a larger panel size," informed Nielsen MD Prashant Singh.

TAM Media Research CEO LV Krishnan said, "I am very happy to see that the JV has finally taken shape. What is even more heartening is that TAM India's current 12,000 meters, which was built and constructed tirelessly over the last fifteen years, will get combined to give BARC India a larger and robust TV panel sample base for the industry. We will do our best in providing our expertise to MDL. Meanwhile, TAM India will continue focusing its efforts towards value adding the industry through constant enhancements of its existing businesses."

Contact: 
Partho Dasgupta
CEO, BARC India
partho.dasgupta@barcindia.co.in
+91-2249226611
Seema Singh
Sr. Manager - PR & Communications
seema.singh@barcindia.co.in
+91-9702333354