Shashi Sinha, Chief Executive Officer at IPG Mediabrands India, has been unanimously elected as the new Chairman of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India by the Board following its meeting held on Friday.

Sinha, who also represents the Advertising Agencies Association of India as its Board member, has played a key role in the formation of BARC. He takes over from Punit Goenka, MD & CEO, Zee Entertainment Enterprises Ltd., who successfully served as the Chairman for the last three years, an official statement from BARC India said.

Sinha is actively involved in various industry bodies such as the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI), Past Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulation (ABC), Past President of The Ad Club, current Chairman of Media Research Users Council (MRUC) and till very recently, before becoming a Board member, was the first Chairman of the Technical Committee of BARC India. He is also an honourable member of the prestigious Facebook India Client Council.

Speaking on the appointment,  Sinha said, “I am excited to be given this opportunity as the Chairman of BARC at a time when the industry is undergoing many changes and the measurement body continues to grow. Over the last decade, BARC has evolved to become a robust currency and developed into a strong base for decision making for all stakeholders. I look forward to continue working with the team at BARC and I am confident that together we will be able to add and bring in more value to the broadcast ecosystem.”

Outgoing chairperson Goenka added, “It has been a privilege to lead and serve BARC India as the Chairman for two terms. The organisation has indeed grown and progressed substantially since its inception. I would like to welcome Shashi as he takes the helm of an industry-critical operation in a fast-changing landscape. I am sure that BARC India will soar to newer heights under his guidance. I also wish Nakul and the team at BARC all the very best”.

Nakul Chopra, CEO, BARC India, added, “We would like to thank Mr. Goenka, who has also been the Founder Chairman of BARC India, playing an instrumental role in setting up this measurement system. His strategic guidance and contribution made to BARC India, as its Chairman for two tenures, has added immense value.

Chopra went on to add: “It gives us great pleasure to welcome Mr. Sinha as our new Chairman. He is recognised for his deep understanding of the media industry, especially the broadcast sector and has been an integral part of BARC’s journey as well as India’s M&E industry. It was under his leadership that the BARC Tech Comm played a significant role in the formation of the world’s largest television measurement system. We look forward to working closely with him.”

BARC India recently resumed making public audience data for TV news channels, aftera break of about 20 months, having put in place more checks and balances to make the numbers robust and manipulation-proof.