Transparency is good, but some opaqueness in audience data is essential to protect media value: Zee’s Ashish Sehgal

A certain level of opaqueness in audience measurement is essential for media owners to fully realise the value of their advertising inventory, as excessive transparency can shift the balance of power in favour of advertisers, a senior industry official has said.

“Transparency is good to an extent, but some opaqueness is necessary. If one discloses exactly where the audience is coming from and who is viewing how much, it could lead to piracy, misuse of first-party data, and wastage of impressions. Our loyal viewer, who generates more impressions, may not be valued enough.