TAM was set up in 2000 by the Joint Industry Body, which represented broadcasters and advertisers. TAM collects data by installing devices called peoplemeters in randomly chosen homes. It collects data from 35,000 respondents in 8,150 homes in 165 cities and towns.It represents the country’s viewership of 148 million homes.

Its ratings are called GRP ( gross rating points ) for a channel and TRPs (television rating points) for a programme. These are the percentages of the audience that actually watched either the channel or the show respectively.

A bigger sample, though better, would be more expensive. TAM gets its revenues through subscriptions. Its turnover stands at RS.50 crore. The industry spends 0.4 t0 0.5 percent on research.

The industry has set up the Broadcast Audience Research Council ( BARC ) which aims at having an independent audience measurement system across all digital platforms. BARC expects to commission this work to vendors such as TAM.

Number of TV Homes 148 million

Number of cable & satellite homes (C&S homes ) 126 million

Number of digital homes ( including DTH ) 42 million

Number of peoplemeters 8,150

Source : TAM 2012 estimates.

IMRB had set up diary-based measurement system in nine cities in 1986 called TRP or Television Rating Points system. In 1995, this was converted to an electronically metered measurement system called TRP Peoplemeter in Mumbai. It was extended to four cities. MARG too simultaneously launched a similar service. Thereafter, a joint industry body (JIB ) is formed by the Indian Society of  Advertisers ( ISA ), the Indian Advertising Association of India  ( AAAI ) and leading TV broadcasters including DD. JIB invites three agencies — Dun Bradstreet (AC Neilson in India),MARG and IMRB — to bid for setting up a rating system for the industry. IMRB and Dun Bradstreet decide to join hands and use Neilson meters. JIB awards the contract to this joint venture–now known as TAM. MARG ( which merged with ORG ) continues its rating under INTAM or Indian National Television Audience Measurement. Meanwhile, Neilson acquires MARG and the two services INTAM and TAM are combined in 2002.

This brilliant American, though not as well-recognized as Alexander Graham Bell and Thomas Alva Edison, was responsible for developing his idea of TV in 1922. There were others who were trying to transmit images though whirling disks  and mirrors — a mechanical process. Fransworth had realized that images could be transmitted by electronic means. His chemistry teacher Tolman inspired him. Mechanical transmission of short-distance has been made possible by Britain’s John Braid in 1934. Zworykin of Westinghouse  was already doing mechanical TV research. But it was Fransworth who first thought of electronic transmission. He explained how to focus the image to be transmitted on the photo-electronic surface of a vaccum tube. Each point of the image, under proper control, would spin off electrons corresponding to the intensity of light trained on a particular spot. He figured out how to change the light-waves from an undulating to electronic zig-zag pattern that could oscillate two million times per second.

Fransworth established financial partnership with Everson and Gorell, the two businessmen from San Francisco to set up a research laboratory in Los Angeles. In 1926, Mott Smith, an authority on electro-physics endorsed the idea as scientifically sound. They asked the attorneys to begin a patent search. Fransworth was further assisted by Crocker National Bank to set up a laboratory in a San Francisco loft. Framsworth and his handful of commercial assistants transmitted a black-triangle on Septenber 7, 1927, which was followed by the transmission of a dollar sign three months later to their bankers.

Reality TV shows are based on real people in real situations, presented as entertainment. People do get interested in such shows as they are interactive. KBC, the quiz show was a big draw. And its versions still continue. Then we had Bigg Boss in 2006. Its several seasons have been broadcast. It was a dose voyeurism.There are singing and dance contest shows like  Nach Baliye, Jhalak Dikhla Ja and Indian Idol. Viewers identify with the drama unfolding right in their homes. There are reality shows based on adventure and laughter. Reality shows hire celebrity hosts, and are high budget affairs. Antakshari was India’s first brush with reality shows ( 1993 ). It lasted for 600 episodes. Sa Re Ga Ma Pa and Indian Idol f0llowed.

The Earliest Reality Show

Allen Funt’s Candid Camera, American TV (1948 ) is the world’s first reality show, based on a 1947-radio show called Candid Microphone. It involved unscripted situations with unsuspecting people responding to pranks. They were caught on camera.

In this era, TV and Internet are converging. Despite the multiple TVs in a household and devices such as iPads, TV is still viewed most of the times on the main set. Internet TV is so designed that it can be accessed from the living room sofa. It is now a battle for control of the living room. BSkyB in Britain launched Now TV — a web-based offering of films and sport which is available on a rental or subscription basis. YouView is another web-based service. Google launched Google TV. Apple TV is also in the linein a revamped format. These services enable a refined and targeted form of delivery. Internet TV will generate reactive data in real time. The winners in this space will be rewarde hugely.

TV viewership is measured either by the diary method or meter method. The diary system used until 1996 consisted of putting a diary in TV viewing households to record viewership. In this method, there were quarter hour slots across the rows and the channels across the columns in the diary. This diary was given to a panel of households. The programmes viewed in different time slots across the channels were jotted down in the diary. In essence, it is a reporting system. Sometimes, the diary entries were made at the end of the week. The reported entries may not be correct — a programme not watched might be reported. There were chances of popular programmes being reported, and chances of omitting the new shows, in spite of viewership. This is called telescopic effect. The meters or peoplemeters were introduced in 1996. These have two units — a recording device attached to a TV set, and a remote which helps the family to log in and log out. The recording device actually records the viewing, and this distinguishes it from the diary method. The two reporting systems in India are TAM and Amap.

Time consuming production: Production is to be planned. The flexibility of the press and radio could not be availed. If the production is shoddy, the commercial looks crude.

Transient: The commercial lasts for a few seconds, and goes off air. The jingles are repeated. They become insistent. The sales messages remain the same. The whole commercial is repeated frequently. TV ads alone are not enough. They need supportive ads in other media. The viewing is passive. It leads to inattentiveness and multi-tasking by the audience. The remote enables the audience to surf channels.

Immobile: Radio can be listened to on the move. Newspaper can be read at home or outside. TV is watched only at home. It requires a captive audience. This is an advantage as well as a disadvantage.

Time constraint: In a few seconds, we can put forward only one selling proposition.

High production costs: As compared to print production, the production cost of a TV commercial is very high.

Fragmentation: There are 500 plus channels. All channels have a diversity of programmes to attract viewers. This leads to fragmentation of audiences. It is difficult to convey a message in such a situation. The relationship with TV is extremely flirtatious.

Clutter: A number of commercials accompany a programme. The viewership of commercials is less than the viewership of the programme. There is further erosion of viewship on account of passive viewing. The clutter leads to poor ad recall. Due to clutter, when the message is repeated, it leads to higher costs.

Waning interest: A commercial packs too much, in too short a time. At first, it may be interesting. But later, the repetitions become montonous. Different versions of commercials can be put on air to overcome this problem.

High total costs: Due to fragmentation, a commercial must be aired on a bouquet of channels. It involves high costs.

Inventory issues: The amount of air time for advertising is capped. The inventory issues, therefore, arise. Some ads are bumped off by the channel. It affects the overall media plan.

Immense impact : No other medium can match TV on its audio-visual appeal. It has the capacity to arrest the attention immediately. Computer graphics and animation make it still more effective. It arouses interest in the product. In print, there is deliberation.On TV, it is spontaneous.

Evocation of experience : It simulates the experience of using and owning the product.

Demonstration : Product benefits can be demonstrated. Product in use can be demonstrated. By time compression, the benefits could be shown in a 10-second commercial.

Animation : It is possible to use animation with the product and its logo. Animation makes the commercial consumer-friendly.

Production quality : TV commercials have improved in quality. Sponsored programmes carrying commercial time too have improved.

Familiar, friendly voices : Those who endorse the brands are our familiar models and film stars. We are at home to listen to what they wish to convey in the commercial and what they do in the commercial.

Retailers are viewers : Retailers too watch TV. They may miss the print ads. However, they are exposed to TV ads. Thus they feel inclined to stock the advertised products.

Comprehensive technique :  There is blend of sight, sound, colour, movement. It has more attributes than any other medium. It, therefore, produces quick results.

Creative use of editorial environment : The programme accompanying the advertisement can be strategically used to air the commercial.

Emotive : TV evokes a variety of emotions and this enhances its impact.

Mass reach : TV can be watched by one and all. Print can be read only by the literate.TV delivers the message to a large mass of people. It is ideal for FMCG products.

Cost-efficient : For mass market products, it is the most cost effective media.

Segmented coverage : Regional channels can be used for regional products. Language channels can be used to reach the audience of a particular language.

TV first appeared in India in Delhi in September, 1959. In 2009, it completed its golden jubilee. It reappeared in 1965 in Delhi with a daily transmission. It spread to other cities including Mumbai in 1972. Till the late 1980s, DD was the only broadcaster. In the early 1990s, satellite TV came in the wake of the Gulf War. Zee TV was launched in 1992. Many more satellite channels were launched thereafter. Currently, there are 500 plus channels. We have a whole bouquet of TV channels — General Entertainment Channels (GECs), news channels, music channels, kids channels, religious channels, movie channels, sports channels and so on. The choices are on the rise. There is too much of fragmentation of viewers. The numero uno position of DD was surrendered to Star and then to Zee and then to Colors. The position keeps on changing. The channels have introduced daily soaps and reality shows to retain viewers. Regional channels too have picked up. The television rating points (TRPs) of the programmes are important for the advertisers. Apart from ad revenues, channels are also trying to tap other sources of revenues — SMS contests, syndicated programmes, placement of ads and pay channels. The set-top-boxes (STBs) after digitalisation and DTH – Direct to Home transmission have made distribution transparent. Most ad revenues is attracted by the GECs, followed by the News & Current Affairs channels. part from FMCG products, TV ads attract telecom, auto and finance ads.

The TV serial actors today face an identity crisis.This is the result of the policies of the channels. The credit titles at the end of an episode of a serial or at the beginning are the root cause of this identity crisis. The real names of the actors/ actresses are dropped from the credit titles. These people are known as by the names of the characters they play in the serial. They are presented in the promotional programmes too in the name  in the name they have assumed in the serial. The novices suffer a lot, as their real names do not get established. The new audiences too fail to recognise these actors. All technicians are included in the titles. Only the actors are excluded.