News broadcasters fume as MIB extends date for submitting feedback on TV ratings

The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) has extended the deadline to November 30 for the broadcasters to submit feedback on the report on ‘Guidelines on TV rating agencies in India.’  

The MIB had appointed a committee headed by Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to overhaul the current TV rating system in India. The ministry, on November 2, sought feedback from the Indian Broadcasting and Digital Foundation, News Broadcaster and Digital Association, and News Broadcasters Federation on the committee report.

The date for submitting the feedback was on November 17.

The news broadcasters obviously are not a happy lot over the date extension, because it has been more than a year since news channels have been out of BARC’s viewership data ratings.

It was in October last year BARC withheld TV ratings for news channels after the Mumbai police unraveled the now-infamous and alleged TRP scam involving one news and two other GECs. Later BARC approached the government and the MIB constituted a committee. And the ministry asked the BARC to continue the status quo.  The ratings were stopped when news channels witnessed historic viewership, as per EY FICCI report. The BARC’s 2021 report also showed that of the overall TV viewership, the news genre grew at the highest at 27%.

Now, by extending the date, the authorities are essentially punishing and isolating the news genre, says an industry insider, preferring anonymity. The news broadcasters have been suffering for the last 15 months for no reason or rationale, he says.

This has now become a merry-go-around, hide-and-seek game, he quips. “BARC will now say the government is buying time. It is a matter of life and livelihood. It is not only about the TV industry. There are advertising agencies and creative professionals involved. There is an entire ecosystem. Overall, the economy will be hit. Advertising requires the news industry, not the other way,” he adds.  

It may be recalled that the NBF, earlier this year, wrote to the MIB requesting to resume ratings, saying that the lack of ratings was affecting the news channels, especially the smaller ones, in an adverse manner. The federation complained that the news genre was being selectively penalised “when even non-news channels and others are being investigated.”

Delaying tactic?

The date extension is a delaying tactic by the authorities, alleges a broadcaster executive, who terms BARC as an “ocean of corruption.”  

Essentially, says the analyst, news broadcasters are going to suffer. “If the government is very serious about restructuring the BARC, they should stop rating for everyone. They are talking about BARC’s rating being flawed. Then they should stop for everyone,” he says.  

He asserts that the best option is to stop the rating for everyone rather than being selective.

“You cannot stop rating for one genre and will talk about improvements. The government should look at releasing the ratings immediately. Send a letter to BARC asking for releasing the ratings and then start the consultation paper. Otherwise, everybody will be protesting. They might submit their views on TRP regulations and restructuring of BARC,” he says, alleging that fifty percent of channels don’t have confidence in the BARC system.

Government should bring everybody in the system, but that doesn’t mean that you stop the rating, he adds. “The report came out in February. It became public only in November. If the broadcasters go to court, it will be really nasty for the government. The patience is getting over. The review is about TRP regulations and BARC. Then stop it for everyone. If the BARC ratings are wrong for news, then it is also wrong for GECs. It is a double standard towards the news genre. Why did they select November 30? It is the final hearing on NTO. If an adverse order comes on NTO, who is impacted? All the big GECs will be impacted,” he says.

According to Anil Kumar Singh, CEO of TV5 Kannada news channel and Group CFO TV5, an industry-wide collaboration is very essential.

“Board of directors with independent members along with representatives from the ISA, Indian Society of Advertisers and AAAI, and representatives of Advertising Agencies Association of India will be the best possible thing to ensure independent and efficient functioning of BARC. Advertisers and advertising agencies cannot afford flaws in rating as it directly impacts their hard-earned advertising spend and their business success. Broadcasters have direct conflict of interest and must be kept away directly or indirectly from BARC. The current fraud has revealed the involvement of many conflicts of interest. It is a fraud, which looks so complicated but can be resolved in the simple manner of adopting a fully automated rating process approved by an independent board of directors recommended by a reputable process auditor. And which is continuously monitored by an independent board of directors and audited by an independent process auditor. A well-defining intent by ISA, AAAI, IBF, TRAI and MIB will make things happen or else every step taken will delay or deny the accurate rating,” he says.   

While welcoming the recommendations by the MIB, Fourth Dimension Media Solutions CEO Shankar B urged the BARC to release ratings as early as possible since the livelihood of thousands of people is involved.

“There are a lot of issues and concerns being faced by broadcasters. We lost our positions in rating last October. Without rating, it has been difficult for us to continue business, because the only currency for the retail market and corporates is numbers. The FTA channels survive only through advertising. There are much smaller genres. What about infotainment and sports? Are you trying to say that you are unable to provide ratings because the genre is small? Then should you be giving rating to infotainment? We are not fighting with anyone. It’s a question of survival,” he said.

According to him, there are certain agencies and clients who are not taking numbers which are from pre-October. “Is that fair? Hasn’t world changed in the last one year? I as a broadcaster must have brought so many changes in content, etc. Am I being treated fairly? I am only pleading on behalf of all news channels, on behalf of NBF for which I am the vice president, we plead with BARC to release ratings as early as possible,” he said.

  

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