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TVision technology will complement BARC India’s data: Yan Liu
MUMBAI: Star TV has partnered with TVision, a company which measure actual eyes on screen attention providing advertisers, agencies and television networks with the second-by-second data required to understand the effectiveness of television advertising and programming. The company would mostly be focusing on major sports shows on Sony Pictures Network (SPN) India’s and Star India’s sports cluster for the pilot run of the service.
According to TVision co-founder and CEO Yan Liu, TV still plays a very important role in India and the market is growing quickly. “Usually the advertising spends accounts for 1.5-2 per cent of the GDP no matter which country, but the GDP of India is growing quickly. On top of that the consumer is adapting to new formats like OTT very quickly,” he says.
He thinks that the Indian market is very interesting and has high potential and wants to continue to invest in the Indian market, partnering with Star TV to launch the service by early 2019 in the country.
Liu says, “In pretty much every market, as a Nielsen, Kantar IMRB and BARC India, they run TV rating service but for us, rating service is more like a quantity. It’s how many TVs tune in to that show. It is important, but let’s be honest, when we talk about TV, a lot of time we are not really watching the screen, we are doing something else. So the other part of the formula we think is audience attention. If you are a brand and spend money on the TV, ultimately you want to make sure that you have audience attention.”
Liu points out that if you just want to measure the tune-in on screen that’s only half of the formula, which is quantity. You also need to understand the quality of the show which is attention. That is why they think that the service is complementary to BARC India. It’s on top of what BARC India offers. BARC can capture quantity and their attention index can be used side-by-side with the TV rating.
“In the US and Japan, the technology has grown from HD then 4K and 8K. What we found was that the higher quality of content leads to higher engagement of the show. So we think that this is a very big thing for big TV networks like Star TV that continues to push HD channels,” he adds.
The testing of the product has started with Star TV and overall there is no issue apart from some technical challenges like non-stable electricity. As the product is in testing the sample size is very small of just a couple of hundreds. The product will kick off by launching in Mumbai and New Delhi.
“For the live TV, 80 per cent of the top rated shows are sports already in the US. So for the live TV, we definitely believe that sport is going to be the strongest genre. Brands will also benefit from the technology as they will get to engage with a highly attentive audience to make sure they are commercially effective,” he concludes.
NEW DELHI: Hamdard Laboratories gathered a cross-section of India’s achievers in New Delhi on Friday, handing out the Hakeem Abdul Hameed Excellence Awards to figures who have left their mark across healthcare, education, sport, public service and the arts.
The ceremony, attended by minister of state for defence Sanjay Seth and senior officials from the ministry of Ayush, celebrated individuals whose work blends professional success with a sense of public purpose. It was as much a roll call of achievement as it was a reminder that influence is not measured only in profits or podiums, but in people reached and lives improved.
Among the headline awardees was Alakh Pandey, founder and chief executive of PhysicsWallah, recognised for turning affordable digital learning into a mass movement. On the sporting front, Arjuna Awardee and kabaddi player Sakshi Puniya was honoured for her contribution to the game and for pushing women’s participation onto bigger stages.
The cultural spotlight fell on veteran lyricist and poet Santosh Anand, whose songs have echoed across generations of Hindi cinema. At 97, Anand accepted the honour with characteristic humility, reflecting on a life shaped by perseverance and hope.
Healthcare honours spanned both modern and traditional systems. Manoj N. Nesari was recognised for strengthening Ayurveda’s place in national and global health frameworks. Padma shri Mohammed Abdul Waheed was honoured for his research-backed work in Unani medicine, while padma shri Mohsin Wali received recognition for his long-standing contribution to patient-centred care.
Education and social development also featured prominently. Padma shri Zahir Ishaq Kazi was honoured for decades of work in education, while former Meghalaya superintendent of Police T. C. Chacko was recognised for public service. Goonj founder Anshu Gupta received an award for his dignity-centred rural development initiatives, and the Hunar Shakti Foundation was honoured for empowering women and young girls through skill development.
The Lifetime Achievement Award went to former IAS officer Shailaja Chandra for her long career in public healthcare and governance, particularly in the traditional systems under Ayush.
Speaking at the event, Hamdard chairman Abdul Majeed said the awards were a tribute to those who combine excellence with empathy. “These awardees reflect Hakeem Sahib’s belief that healthcare, education and public service must ultimately serve humanity,” he said.
Minister Seth struck a forward-looking note, saying India’s young population gives the country a unique opportunity to become a global destination for learning, health and wellness by 2047.
The ceremony also featured the trailer launch of Unani Ki Kahaani, an upcoming documentary starring actor Jim Sarbh, set to premiere on Discovery on 11 February.
Instituted in memory of Unani scholar and educationist Hakeem Abdul Hameed, the awards have grown into a national platform that celebrates those building a more inclusive and resilient India. For one evening at least, the spotlight was not just on success, but on service with substance.
