BARC initiates pilot for audience measurement across platforms

According to media reports, the pilot is being conducted with a leading industry player, to formally test an integrated cross-platform measurement model

by e4m Staff
Published: Feb 26, 2026 9:11 AM | 1 min read

Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has initiated a pilot project to measure audiences across linear TV, connected TV (CTV) and mobile streaming under a single framework.

According to media reports, the pilot is being conducted with a leading industry player, to formally test an integrated cross-platform measurement model.

According to sources, development was discussed last week and is aimed at correcting a growing disconnect between how content is consumed and how it is measured.

In 2025, the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting had directed BARC to integrate Connected TV viewership into its ratings framework, acknowledging the steady rise of smart TV and streaming device consumption.

The ministry had also highlighted structural limitations in the current system: India has roughly 230 million television households, but only about 58,000 people meters, representing approximately 0.025% of total TV homes that currently capture viewership data.

Industry stakeholders say that if the pilot generates statistically robust and validated results, BARC is expected to expand participation to other broadcasters, potentially laying the groundwork for an industry-wide cross-screen measurement currency.

For advertisers and broadcasters alike, the experiment marks more than a technical upgrade. It signals a broader recalibration of India’s ratings architecture, one that attempts to align measurement with the realities of modern content consumption across screens.