Shashi Shekhar Vempati resigns from BARC board

Shashi Shekhar Vempati, former CEO of Prasar Bharati and a recipient of the Padma Shri, has stepped down from the board of the Broadcast Audience Research Council, where he served as a professional director.

Vempati, who joined the BARC board in 2024, confirmed his resignation, citing personal reasons for the decision. “Due to personal reasons, I have decided to step down from the BARC board,” he said.

His exit comes at a time when BARC continues to play a crucial role in India’s television measurement ecosystem, providing key audience data that drives advertising investments and programming strategies across the broadcast industry.

Vempati currently serves as co-founder of the DeepTech for Bharat Foundation. He also holds important roles in academia and policy advisory, including membership in the society of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication and chairing the Science & Technology Communication Apex Advisory Committee.

An alumnus of the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay, Vempati brings a diverse background spanning technology, media, and public policy. He spent over 16 years at Infosys as a product strategist and digital innovator before moving into the media space in 2013, when he took over as CEO of NitiCentral.

Vempati also played a key role during the 2020 alleged TRP manipulation controversy. He led a four-member committee set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting to review guidelines governing television rating agencies, a step aimed at enhancing transparency and credibility in audience measurement systems.

His departure from the BARC board marks the end of a relatively short tenure, coming at a time when efforts are ongoing to rebuild trust in India’s media measurement framework. Pitchonnet