New classification may claw back TV viewers

ISEC may breathe life into ailing genres such as English entertainment

- Latajh

A new socio-economic classification system to for consumers, which takes into account a broader set of factors such as education levels of all adults in a household, will likely re-energize India’s broadcasting sector and help advertisers target better, say industry experts.

The Indian Socio Economic Classification (ISEC), rolled out by Market Research Society of India earlier this week, could improve measurement of audience preferences, potentially breathing life into ailing niche genres such as English entertainment through nuanced, tailored programmes, they said.

ISEC, if adopted across industries, will replace the New Consumer Classification System (NCCS) that only factored in the education of the primary earner in a household and the presence of certain consumer durable items such as ceiling fan or a colour television.