Post NTO, number of households watching 31 or more channels dropped to 24%: BARC
The percentage of households watching 1 to 15 channels increased from 21% to 30% over the same period
BARC India recently released a whitepaper titled 'Measurement in a Post-NTO World'. Apart from asserting that BARC’s system of monitoring viewership data is robust and accurate, it also brought to light the changing landscape of television distribution. The average number of channels viewed per TV household has reduced post-NTO. The paper reveals that at an all India level, before NTO, 35% of households watched 31 or more channels. This percentage decreased to 24% post NTO. The percentage of households watching 1 to 15 channels increased from 21% to 30% over the same period.
The paper further reads, “As the average number of channels received by a household decreases, the variability between households in the channels received necessarily increases. Since channel reception is a necessary condition for channel viewership, this ultimately can result in increased heterogeneity in viewership within the country.”
BARC also suggests that a census-based study would have given them an accurate view of ground reality. “However, complete enumeration through census-based surveys is not only impractical but also imposes enormous costs that are both unsustainable and unnecessary if the nature and methods of statistical sampling are appropriately considered,” the paper points out.
