BARC India (Broadcast Audience Research Council) is India's official TV audience measurement body. It operates a panel of approximately 60,000+ households across urban and rural India, using set meters installed on TV sets to capture second-by-second viewing data. BARC's primary coverage is linear/broadcast TV — it measures which channels are watched, when, and by whom, with full demographic granularity. This data is the currency of the Indian broadcast advertising market.
For OTT and CTV streaming, BARC's coverage is partial and evolving. BARC launched its OTT measurement product (originally called 'Ekam' then renamed BARC OTT) to measure streaming content viewed on TV screens — this captures some CTV viewing where the streaming app is accessed on a BARC-metered TV set. However, this does not capture: streaming on smartphones or tablets (separately addressed by ComScore's OTT measurement), streaming in non-panel households, or the full app-level detail most advertisers need for campaign measurement. BARC's OTT measurement covers broad content viewing (what shows are popular) rather than ad delivery measurement (which ads were served and to whom). For campaign measurement in India CTV, advertisers rely on platform-self-reported data (JioCinema, JioHotstar, SonyLIV) rather than BARC. BARC's value to CTV advertisers is primarily for audience planning (what content draws which demographics to CTV screens) rather than campaign verification.
Full guide
For a complete explanation, read: BARC India and CTV measurement: what it covers, what it misses