Ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta’s Biography, Career & Net Worth

Partho Dasgupta

Partho Dasgupta is a well-known Indian media professional. He is best known as the first CEO of BARC India (Broadcast Audience Research Council), which is the country’s top organization for measuring TV viewership. With over 30 years of experience in media, broadcasting, advertising, and technology, Partho helped build India’s TV rating system and made it meet global standards.

However, his career faced a major challenge when he was accused of being involved in one of India’s biggest media scandals — manipulating TV ratings.

Partho Dasgupta was born and brought up in India. From a young age, he was good at studies and showed strong leadership skills. He studied at IIM Calcutta (Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta), one of the best business schools in India. With his education and passion for media, he quickly began working in the corporate world.

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Partho Dasgupta: Sustainability Is the Future of Business

“Sustainability in business means including ethical and responsible practices in how a company runs, makes decisions, and plans its future,” says Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of BARC India and now Managing Partner at Thoth Advisors.

He explains that it’s about thinking beyond short-term profits and considering how a company’s actions impact the environment, society, and the economy. The goal is long-term growth that’s good for everyone.

“Today’s millennials and Gen-Z care more about where their products come from,” he adds. “They want to support brands that are environmentally friendly, treat people well, and don’t harm animals. They expect the companies they buy from to follow these values. Businesses that adapt to this mindset will see a boost in their popularity and profits.

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Partho Dasgupta: Past CEO of BARC India

partho dasgupta

Partho Dasgupta is known for his sharp understanding of consumer behavior, technology, and media trends. He was the first CEO of BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), a joint effort by broadcasters, advertising agencies, and advertisers to create a new way to measure TV audiences in India.

As BARC’s first CEO, Partho Dasgupta started the company from scratch. He introduced a unique funding model with support from banks and managed a board with many different stakeholders. He also worked closely with the government and regulators.

Under his leadership, BARC built one of the world’s most advanced audience measurement systems using cutting-edge technology like machine-to-machine communication, big data, artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). The panel grew rapidly, covering over 3,000 towns and villages, making it the largest audience measurement panel in the world.

Today, BARC not only measures TV audiences but also provides insights into news, sports, music, premium households, and even outdoor advertising. The company continues to use advanced data tools and AI to enhance its offerings.

Before BARC, Partho held a leadership role at India’s largest education company. He helped turn around their preschool division and played a key role in expanding their K–12 school business through acquisitions.

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Partho Dasgupta on the Cord-Cutting Trend: How Cable TV is Losing Ground

Partho Dasgupta

Most of us remember planning our day around our favorite TV shows. Cable TV used to be our main source of entertainment and news. Kids watched cartoons, elders watched the news, and families across India came together to watch shows like Ramayan on Sunday mornings—it was a shared experience!

But things have changed. Today, people watch shows whenever they want, thanks to streaming services. You can pause a show, take a break, and resume it later with just a click. Watching anything, anytime, and anywhere is what today’s viewers prefer. Mr. Partho Dasgupta shares his thoughts on what the cable TV industry needs to do to keep up with these changes.

For a while now, it’s been clear that fiber optics and DTH (Direct-to-Home) services are strong competitors to traditional cable TV in India. One major reason is the many rules and regulations that make it harder for cable companies to grow. On top of that, OTT (Over-the-Top) streaming platforms have added even more pressure, offering viewers more choices and flexibility than ever before.

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Partho Dasgupta Explores the Shift from Cable to Streaming in the Cord-Cutting Era

partho dasgupta

Most of us remember planning our day around our favorite TV shows. Cable TV used to be our way of seeing the world beyond our homes. Kids watched cartoons, elders tuned in for news, and everyone looked forward to Sunday mornings with Ramayan—it felt like a tradition!

But things have changed. Now, people stream shows whenever they want. They can pause an episode, take a break, and resume it later. With just a click, they can watch anything, anytime, anywhere. This is what today’s viewers expect.

Mr. Partho Dasgupta shares his thoughts on what the cable TV industry needs to do to survive in this new world.

For a while now, it’s been obvious that fiber optics and DTH (Direct-to-Home) services are strong competitors to traditional cable TV in India. One big reason is the heavy rules and regulations, which have made things even harder for the already struggling cable industry. And with the rise of OTT (Over-the-Top) streaming platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, the competition has only gotten tougher.

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Partho Dasgupta: Driving Success Across Companies During and Beyond His BARC Tenure

A true leader is someone who inspires others to work towards goals they may not have considered important before. Reaching the top takes hard work, strong determination, and—most importantly—experience. At the top, the pressure is high, and expectations are even higher.

Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of BARC and now Managing Partner at Thoth Advisors, is a great example of such a leader. His success is the result of staying alert, being prepared, and always giving his best.

Partho shares his journey across different organizations and shows us why he is known as an expert in start-ups and business turnarounds.

“No one can live life without gaining experience,” says Partho Dasgupta. “What you learn shapes your future. My decisions and experiences have made me who I am today.

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The Cable TV Shift: Partho Dasgupta on the Rise of Cord-Cutting

Partho Dasgupta

Cable operators are already losing customers to DTH (Direct-to-Home) and OTT (Over-the-Top) platforms. If cable TV prices go up again, even more people may switch to DTH or OTT services.

A report by Ormax in 2022 found that, on average, each paying OTT user in India subscribes to 2.4 different platforms. The report also estimated that India has around 424 million OTT users.

Partho Dasgupta says, “With the number of OTT users growing rapidly, cable operators need to improve their services to stay in business. They must offer better pricing plans and attractive deals to compete in the changing media industry.

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Partho Dasgupta: His Life, Work, and Achievements

Partho Dasgupta is an experienced leader in general management with a strong background in various consumer industries and media sectors, including print, television, and outdoor advertising.

Throughout his career, he has worked in media, technology, and consumer-focused businesses, leading both large and small startup projects. He has played key roles in launching and managing media ventures such as Times Now, Future Media, The Economic Times, and Times Multimedia.

Currently, he heads Thoth Advisor Pvt. Ltd., where he helps company CEOs and Boards create and implement growth strategies. His expertise covers business expansion, selecting and using the right technology, and improving overall business plans. He also provides strategic advice on mergers and acquisitions, helping companies handle complex changes smoothly.

Partho believes in the power of strong leadership and effective team management. He focuses on building high-performing teams and guiding businesses toward long-term success.

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Partho Dasgupta: Former BARC CEO Who Transformed Multiple Companies

Partho Dasgupta

A true leader is someone who inspires others to work toward goals they may not have considered important before. Reaching the top takes hard work, determination, and, most importantly, experience. At higher levels, the stakes are high, and the pressure is intense.

Partho Dasgupta, former CEO of BARC and current Managing Partner at Thoth Advisors, is a great example of strong leadership. His success comes from his constant dedication and readiness to take on challenges. Throughout his career, he has been part of many organizations, proving himself as an expert in startups and business turnarounds.

“No one goes through life without gaining experience. Success or failure often depends on what we learn along the way. My decisions and experiences have shaped the person I am today,” says Partho Dasgupta.

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Partho Dasgupta Leadership at BARC as Former CEO

Partho Dasgupta

A keen observer of consumer, technology and media trends, Partho Dasgupta was the first CEO of BARC, the joint initiative of Broadcasters, Advertising agencies and Advertisers to develop a new Broadcast Audience Measurement system. His biggest achievements in this assignment was to start up operations from scratch, devising a unique funding model from banks, Multi stakeholder board management, Government and Regulatory management, most advanced technology architecture globally, including M2M and big data capabilities and finally reaching 3000 towns and villages across the country making the panel the largest in the world. BARC is today the largest Audience Measurement panel company in the world, having expanded its sample and also introducing insight offerings in the areas of News, Sports, Music and Premium homes and OOH measurement as well. The company uses Big data tools and ML and AI for its product offerings

Partho Dasgupta BARC was earlier in the leadership team of the country’s largest Education company. He turned around the preschool business while leading the inorganic growth story in k12 schools. He also had an entrepreneurial stint where he cofounded a media company with colleagues. Partho Dasgupta also advised media start-ups and venture firms and their invested companies on brand and management strategies earlier.

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