News channels ratings to resume only after implementation of TRP committee’s recommendations: I&B Minister Anurag Thakur

We are trying to implement the TRP committee’s recommendations and the BARC ratings for news channels will resume after that, Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur reiterated on Thursday.

“The committee has submitted its report on TRP. We had given channels time till November 30 to respond and they have done that. Now we are trying to implement the recommendations as soon as possible and let the BARC ratings resume so that the channels are relieved,” he said when asked about the TRP ratings at a News18 event Chaupal.

A committee was formed under the chairmanship of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati on November 4, 2020 to make the Television Rating Points (TRPs) of TV channels more transparent.

It submitted its report to then Union Information and Broadcasting (I&B) Minister Prakash Javadekar in January 2021. He had then said that an arrangement would be made to ensure that there is no scope for tampering with the TRPs. The industry bodies sent in their suggestions by November 30.

On Wednesday, in its 27th report on ‘Ethical Standards in Media Coverage’, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology had also urged the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) to identify a solution for a more transparent and accountable system for measuring television rating points (TRPs).

BARC had paused releasing ratings for news channels in October 2020 with the TRP scam. It had stated that it was looking at ways to improve statistical robustness and would return in 8-12 weeks. Though New Broadcasters Federation (NBF) approached Javadekar seeking resumption of data, the I&B Ministry asked BARC, in February, to maintain ‘status quo’ until it finished examining the TRP committee report. In September 2021 NBF again wrote to BARC's new CEO, Nakul Chopra, to resume release of audience measurement data for the news channels.