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Advertisers have called upon the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India to segregate landing page data from the actual viewership data of TV channels. BARC India's inability to exclude landing page data from the overall viewership data has led to widespread misuse of landing pages for short-term viewership gains.
News channels have been the biggest culprits in using landing page to gain an unfair advantage. According to the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), the landing page refers to the Logical Channel Number (LCN) which is displayed first when the Set Top Box (STB) is switched on.
Dabur India Head of Media Rajiv Dubey noted that the fight in the news genre has intensified since all the channels are targeting the same viewership pie which is not expanding enough. This, he argued, is the reason behind the use of unethical practices like a landing page.
"All news channels put together generate about 4.5% viewership in India. Fourteen top Hindi news channels contribute 95% of viewership generated, which totals to 4% of total viewership generated on TV. If you compare the same for the English news genre – all channels put together generate about 0.03% channel share. News viewership peaked at about 21% share during the third week of March 2020 when the pandemic hit this world and news was relevant. News viewership has been falling ever since. Fight amongst news channels is becoming fierce due to limited elbow space at the top of the pyramid," Dubey stated.
He further stated that advertisers look at viewership share, content, and brand perception while advertising on channels. The advertiser is least impressed when channels suddenly see a viewership spike due to tactics like a landing page, he noted.
"Few popular channels have been able to stand the test of time. These have consistently performed over the years and these are preferred by viewers and advertisers because they have superior content and they've consistently performed. If a channel, lower down in order, tries to jack up ratings by being on the landing page on a DTH, it may not impress the advertisers. A short-term blip due to some antics on a landing page may not sway advertisers into buying those channels because one can read between the lines," Dubey said.
Patanjali Ayurved COO - Media & Communications Anita Nayyar said that the landing page and viewership data will have to be viewed separately. "Landing page viewership is not considered by advertisers. BARC should segregate landing page data from the actual viewership data," she asserted.
Nayyar, who is a veteran in the world of media planning and buying, said advertisers don't get swayed by a sudden spike in viewership due to landing page. "Advertisers are wise enough to see through these distribution tactics and they also know which channel to go with given their product categories, target audiences, and markets," she said.
She also pointed out that news as a genre is easy to understand since it doesn't see much fluctuation except during big-ticket news events. "From an understanding perspective, the news is a mature genre. News viewership generally remains stable unless there is a big news event. TV news viewership is event-led," Nayyar noted.
Parle Products Senior Category Head Krishnarao Buddha is of the view that the use of landing pages for gaining viewership is an unethical practice that must be stopped.
"Using a landing page for jacking up viewership is unethical. The landing page data is also meaningless for advertisers. News channels with deep pockets will buy landing pages to get viewership spike so that is definitely unethical. It is also unfair to the other broadcasters. The practice of using landing page needs to be stopped," Buddha said.
Echoing Nayyar's sentiments, Buddha said BARC should start segregating landing page data and regular data so that there is a clear distinction. "Then it should be left to an advertisers discretion on how they use that data for advertising on news channels."
A media buying executive with a leading telecom company said any increase in viewership is good as long as it is sustainable. That said, he added that spikes due to landing pages are usually temporary and not ideal.
"As the famous adage goes, ‘a rating is a rating’. Advertisers only worry about their media deliveries and not how they come. So channels are at liberty to seek ratings with their own expertise. BARC should report every different form of rating and qualify the rating basis its origin. It is purely in BARC's hands to ensure that ratings are represented properly," he stated.
