From June 26, BARC to release weekly unrolled viewership data

In a significant move set to impact Indian broadcast media measurement, the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India has announced it will no longer release data on a 4-week rolling average basis. Starting June 26, 2025, BARC will provide weekly unrolled viewership estimates, marking a major shift in how television ratings are reported.

The transition is expected to benefit news channels and broadcasters by offering a more immediate and transparent view of audience behaviour. According to BARC’s latest advisory, the new methodology will allow advertisers and content owners to track channel performance on a weekly basis, enabling quicker decision-making and sharper insights into viewer trends.

The four-week rolling average was initially implemented when the ratings for the news genre were resumed on March 17, 2022, after a 17-month hiatus prompted by the alleged TRP scam. However, a group of broadcasters had sought unrolled data from BARC. The ratings agency then approached MIB for its permission.

An email advisory sent to BARC subscribers, accessed by Storyboard18, reads:

"Pursuant to the decision of the BARC India Board, and after getting all other necessary clearances, we are pleased to announce that effective Week 24’25 (Sat 14th June to Fri 20th June 2025), we will no longer release data on a 4-week rolling average basis. Viewership estimates of all genres, starting 26th June 2025, will be reported weekly without rolling."

The advisory also cautioned stakeholders:

"Please be advised that with this switch, caution should be drawn when trending ADRS (Rolled Data) based data with unrolled data, given the differences in the methodology and estimates."

"The special YUMI licence issued to concerned broadcasters for accessing unrolled data of their own channels, will continue to be operative to enable them to access their historical data."

"However, unrolled data of channels which was not released to the ecosystem during the "rolled data period" (Week 10’22 to Week 23’25), would not be retrospectively made available to subscribers."

To support broadcasters during the transition, the YUMI licence issued for accessing channel-specific unrolled data will remain active, ensuring continuity in access to historical records. However, BARC clarified that data from channels not released during the “rolled data period” (Week 10’22 to Week 23’25) will not be retrospectively provided.

A senior broadcaster welcomed the move, calling it a long-awaited step. “This long-pending demand has been finally addressed by BARC. This will help understand the news channel viewership in entirety, unlike earlier, when the 4-week rolling average data had complexities,” the broadcaster told Storyboard18.

The industry has widely interpreted the shift as a positive development that enhances the credibility, accountability, and agility of TV viewership metrics in India.

Storyboard18 has reached out to BARC for an official comment. This article will be updated if a statement is received.