On Pause Since 2018: Industry awaits BARC’s crucial baseline survey

In an evolving media landscape, television advertisers in India are operating with limited visibility. Reason-the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India’s baseline study—an important tool that helps assess TV households and viewership patterns—has not been refreshed since 2018. As a result, marketers and planners are relying on data that is now several years old.

Originally structured as a biennial study, the Broadcast India (BI) survey was last officially conducted in 2018. Although BARC released the “TV Universe Estimates 2020” in 2021, those numbers were based on projections from earlier data.

Since then, no new updates have been released, even as the rise of connected TV (CTV) and increased digital content consumption—particularly post-pandemic—have changed viewing behaviours. This gap in current data is seen by some industry professionals as a growing challenge for TV planning.

Industry executives shared with e4m that BARC had begun work on a new BI survey earlier this year, incorporating revised methodologies to reflect recent market dynamics. However, sources suggest that concerns from stakeholder groups, including broadcasters, have temporarily slowed progress.

“The Indian Broadcasting & Digital Foundation (IBDF), which represents a significant portion of the industry, raised concerns around the proposed changes to past protocols. This led to a pause in the partial study carried out by two agencies,” claimed senior industry representatives.

Another expert noted, “Some broadcasters may be cautious about what updated baseline findings could reveal—especially around reach trends in certain urban demographics.”

In the absence of new data, conversations comparing television and digital platforms have intensified. Some media planners believe that unless robust, third-party validated data is available, TV advertising could see more selective use—focused on impact placements—while broader media allocations shift toward digital platforms, which offer more granular measurement.

“When there’s a lack of fresh measurement, advertisers may become more conservative with their budgets, or seek greater negotiation flexibility,” said a senior executive at a top media agency, citing parallels with the Indian Readership Survey (IRS), which last released data in 2019.

Digital media has already edged ahead of television in ad spend. The Pitch Madison Annual Report (PMAR 2025) estimates that digital accounted for over 50% of India’s advertising market—₹49,250 crore—surpassing TV’s share. Television, which once dominated, has seen its share decline from 34% in 2022 to just under 30% (₹34,500 crore) in 2024.

This shift is also reflected in the number of active advertisers. According to PMAR, TV attracted 11,127 advertisers in 2023, a number that dipped to 8,653 in 2024—marking a 23% drop.

Understanding the BI Survey’s Significance

The Broadcast India survey is one of India’s most extensive recurring media studies, encompassing household-level data across over 300,000 homes in more than 500 districts and 4,200 towns and villages. It delivers insights on media consumption, geography, socio-economic segments, and product usage.

The 2018 survey showed a 7.5% growth in TV households, surpassing the 4.5% rise in total households. TV penetration rose 4% in urban and 10% in rural areas, with corresponding increases in viewership—10% and 13%, respectively.

Total TV viewership rose by 7.2%, reaching 836 million. Average Time Spent (ATS) on TV also grew—up 3% overall to 3 hours and 44 minutes. Urban ATS increased 5% to 4 hours and 6 minutes, while rural ATS rose 2% to 3 hours and 27 minutes.

The 2020 estimates projected further gains, suggesting that NCCS A and B households made up 27% and 31% of the TV universe, respectively. Meanwhile, NCCS DE homes declined to 9%. These estimates also showed a higher rate of TV adoption among women (7%) compared to men (6%).

For advertisers and agencies, such data is critical to understanding demographic shifts and media penetration trends across markets.

CTV and Hybrid Viewership Reshaping the Landscape

“The large-screen environment has evolved significantly over the past few years,” noted a senior media planner with a leading FMCG company. “With hybrid households now blending traditional TV with connected platforms, legacy estimates don’t always capture current reality. Besides, pay TV homes have dropped down.”

This shift is prompting brands to reevaluate planning assumptions. “Internal estimates suggest that TV households now exceed 225 million, many of them CTV-enabled,” said a senior marketer from the auto industry. “This has a direct impact on how we structure media investments.”

Some broadcasters have pointed out that any new BI study would still need to rely on the 2011 Census due to the delay in India’s national enumeration process. However, advertisers suggest that interim updates to models and data extrapolation could help bridge the gap.

“The Census constraint is understandable—but it need not stall all innovation in data updates,” said the head of media at a major consumer tech company. “If TV’s reach is expanding into new markets or formats, we need mechanisms to reflect that evolution.”

BARC India CEO Nakul Chopra declined to comment. IBDF Chairman Kevin Vaz did not respond to requests for comment.