The Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC India) has appointed Nielsen as the agency to conduct India's largest Universe Estimation study on television ownership and viewing habits.
The study will provide the marketing industry with an in-depth understanding on count and composition of television households in the country, with updated numbers over time.
With a focus on providing a robust and expanding panel to measure television ratings in the country, the study will also gather data on television owning households in small towns and rural India.
As an additional layer to measuring television audiences, the study will also capture the paradigm shift in content viewing between linear mediums like the television set, and also digital mediums such as smartphones, tablets, PCs etc.
As part of the study, Nielsen will cover 3 lakh (or 300,000) households sample size, and the first round of findings will be released by BARC in early 2016.
This is by far the largest such study, according to BARC. The technology used ensures a quick turnaround hence, the data will not get dated when it's released.
The study will be conducted using innovative technology, and with a digital focus. Tools and methods like Computer Aided Personal Interviews, GPS technology, and phone number validation via OTPs will be deployed to ensure greater efficiency in the interview process, increased accuracy and transparency through the end-to-end process.