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February 11, 2016

BARC - TAM joint venture announced

DEAL BRIEF

Broadcast Audience Research Council (“BARC”), has agreed to form a joint venture company called Meterology Data Private Limited. (“JV Co”) with Tam Media Research Private Limited (“TAM”). The JV Co will be a meter management company inter – alia engaged in running and managing the meter operations and supplying raw data to BARC.

BARC is an industry body that inter – alia provides a television audience measurement system for India. BARC was formed in line with the recommendations of the TRAI (Telecom Regulatory Authority of India) and MIB (Ministry of Information and Broadcasting) by three key stakeholders in television audience measurement : broadcasters (via Indian Broadcasting Foundation), advertisers (Indian Society of Advertisers), and advertising and media agencies (Advertising Agencies Association of India). TAM is a joint venture between Kantar Media Research (part of the WPP Group) and Nielsen.

Press coverage relating to this transaction, is available here (Economic Times) and here (Livemint).

OUR ROLE

We, at Nishith Desai Associates, acted as the sole legal counsel to BARC and advised on strategic aspects, structuring, regulatory nuances, negotiations and documentation.‎