Stalling of BARC ratings suicidal, unilateral: MK Anand and Barun Das

The speculation that there are attempts to stall BARC ratings has provoked strong reactions within certain segments of Indian TV channels, particularly those in the news genre.

BARC ratings hold a pivotal position in shaping the industry's competitiveness, advertising strategies, and overall operation. The speculation about suspending these ratings has triggered strong reactions, with industry leaders expressing their reservations and emphasizing the crucial role that ratings play in content planning and aligning with consumer preferences.
The BARC ratings have long been a critical yardstick for measuring the performance of television channels. Industry insiders say that any disruption in the news ratings will have far-reaching consequences.

Broadcasters say that stalling the BARC ratings for the news genre will have wide ramifications that extend beyond the confines of ratings numbers, especially with the general elections approaching.

Commenting on the suspension of ratings demanded by a section of news broadcasters, MK Anand, MD & CEO, Times Network, said: “Unlike in October 2020, when there was a bona fide reason for suspending ratings due to the alleged TRP scam, the present situation doesn’t warrant such a move. BARC has since implemented a transparent and trustworthy system under a new management, and we don’t have any doubts about the veracity of the data, nor do we doubt any wilful tampering. Ratings serve as a critical research tool, essential for content planning, ensuring our products are in line with consumer preference. We firmly believe this conversation about the suspension of ratings is in the wrong direction and ratings should continue uninterrupted.”

Barun Das, MD and CEO, TV9 Network, feels that any attempt at stalling the BARC ratings will be suicidal for the news genre.
"In absence of any ratings, advertisers will not be comfortable playing blind and accordingly allocation of budget in the news genre will certainly shrink. Any disruption of ratings will not only make the genre highly uncompetitive, but it would also ensure that the free market is completely skewed," Das said.

"The prospect of singling out of the news industry once again and subjecting it to constant disruptions has a grave impact on the functioning of an industry that is rooted in being a democratic public service that informs the people at large. While News Channels are subjected to repeated disruptions in having access to published weekly ratings, Sports channels and GECs do not face such hindrances," said Barun Das.

An industry observer said that if any legacy players don't want to be in the BARC, they are free to get out of the system.

"Earlier, the BARC removed the new genre. It was illogical and unilateral. News genre was isolated in that process. BARC should not do anything of that sort. Just because they have monopoly they don’t have any authority to do whatever they want. People meters gather data from all genres, including news. They cannot isolate news genre alone from the meters. If they want to stop ratings, they should stop for all genres. if any legacy players dont want ratings, they are free to get out. It is a free market," he said on condition of anonymity.