ITV

Tag: NDTV 24×7

  • Republic TV tops once again as genre ratings fall

    Republic TV tops once again as genre ratings fall

    BENGALURU: Republic TV juggernaut continued its relentless dominance of the Indian English News genre according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly viewership for week 40 of 2017 (Saturday, 30 September 2017 to Friday, 6 October 2017). The Arnab Goswami led channel has been leading the genre right from its launch 22 weeks ago in week 19 of 2017.

    However, BARC data for top 5 English News channels (All India (U+R) : NCCS AB : Males 22+ Individuals) reveals that the combined viewership of the top 5 channels of the genre plunged to lowest ever since week 22 of 2017. Also, Republic TV’s ratings in week 40 of 2017 were the lowest ever since its commencement. It may be noted that week 21 ratings have not been considered in this paper, because the other channels supported by the News Broadcasting Association had stripped their BARC audio watermarks to disallow viewership measurement in protest against what they termed as unfair practices by Republic TV. The errant channels returned to the BARC fold in week 22 of 2017.

    Republic TV with 840,000 weekly impressions (Sums) for week 40 of 2017 led the genre, followed by the channel it had disposed from numero uno position when it was launched – The Times Group’s flagship English News channel Times Now that stood at second place with 717,000 weekly impressions (Sums). The previous lowest viewership ratings of Republic TV was in weeks 25 and 27 of 2017 – 868,000 weekly impressions (Sums).

    The Prannoy and Radhika Roy led NDTV 24 x 7 climbed to third place in the genre with 347,000 weekly impressions (Sums) in week 40 from fifth rank in week 39 when it had garnered 328,000 weekly impressions (Sums).

    NDTV 24×7 was followed by India Today Television at fourth place in week 40 of 2017 with 338,000 weekly impressions (Sums). In week 39 also the channel was ranked fourth with 353,000 weekly impressions (Sums). CNN News 18 dropped two ranks to fifth place in week 40 of 2017 with 244,000 weekly impressions (Sums). The channel had scored 368,000 weekly impressions (Sums) in week 39.

    Overall, the Indian English News genre lost viewership in week 40 of 2017 – the combined ratings of the top 5 channels was 2,486,000 weekly impressions the lowest since week 22 of 2017 when the combined ratings of the top 5 channels was 2,463,000 weekly impressions. In week 39, the combined viewership of the top 5 English News channels was 2,888,000 weekly impressions. Please refer to the figure below for the combined ratings of the top 5 English News channels for weeks 1 to 40 of 2017.

    public://barc-republic.jpg

  • Republic TV, Aaj Tak continue to lead genres as news viewership falls

    Republic TV, Aaj Tak continue to lead genres as news viewership falls

    BENGALURU: Republic TV recorded its lowest viewership since its launch in week 36 of 2017 (Saturday, 2 September 2017 to Friday, 8 September 2017). The channel garnered 854,000 weekly impressions, lower than the earlier low of 868,000 weekly impressions it had scored in weeks 25 and 27 of 2017 according to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly list of top 5 English News channels All India (U+R): NCCS AB: Males 22+ Individuals. The channel has started with a bang in week 19 with 2.117 million weekly impressions. At present, ignoring ratings for week 21, Republic TV’s average weekly ratings since launch until week 36 of 2017 (except for week 21) are 1.141 million weekly impressions, hence its week 36 ratings are well below its par ratings.

    In the Hindi News genre, the genre leader for 35 of the 36 weeks of 2017 has been Aaj Tak. The only week that it lost the pole position was in week 6 of 2017 to India TV. Aaj Tak was ranked second in that week. For week 36 of 2017, Aaj Tak scored 137.519 million weekly impressions according to BARC list of top 5 Hindi News channels: HSM (U+R) : NCCS All : 15+ Individuals. The channel’s average weekly impressions in 2017 until week 36 are 122.870 million, hence its week 36 weekly impressions score is well above its par.

    In week 36, the combined weekly impressions of the top 5 English News gene channels were 2.760 million, lower than the 2.942 million weekly impressions of the previous week or the 2.979 million weekly impressions of week 34.  The average combined weekly impressions of the top 5 English News channels in 2017 until week 36 (except week 21) were 2.460 million, and week 36 impressions for the genre are well above the 36 week par. The genre’s highest combined weekly impression of the top 5 channels at 4.897 million impressions were in week 11 – the week during which election results for five states were announced. The second highest ratings by the top 5 English News channels were 4.282 million impressions in week 19, the week that Republic TV was launched.

    In the case of Hindi News channels, the genre had scored its highest weekly impressions in week 35, with the top 5 channels having combined weekly impressions of 738.482 million. This was the week that saw the reportage of the Ram-Rahim case judgment day – Monday, 28 August 2017 attracting record-breaking viewership. Week 36 has seen the top 5 channels combined weekly impressions plunge to 564.769 million weekly impressions, but still well above the 36 week average of 492.903 million.

    Please refer to the figure below for average ratings of the top five English News channels during the first 36 weeks of 2017 (excluding data for week 21 of 2017):

    public://f1_5.jpg

    Please refer to the figure below for the average ratings of the top 5 channels of the Hindi News Genre during the first 36 weeks of 2017.

    public://f2_5.jpg

    As mentioned by us earlier, News about the fate of godman Ram Rahim on Monday, 28 August 2017 was one of the most watched events on news television in the recent past in India. Viewership of the Hindi News genre grew 2.1 times from 121.5 million impressions (the average viewership for the previous four Mondays’) to 256.1 million impressions on Monday, 28 August 2017. The English News genre grew by 46 percent from 482 Impressions ‘000s (Av Impressions for the last 4 Mondays) to 703 Impressions ‘000s on Monday 28 August 2017.

     

  • Republic TV helps increase English News genre viewership

    Republic TV helps increase English News genre viewership

    BENGALURU: Arnab Ranjan Goswami is one of the most recognised faces on Indian Television. Earlier, as the editor-in-chief of the Times Network flagship English News channel Times Now, Goswami raised the hackles of many during his shows on the channel. He quit Times Now in November last year to start another English News channel. Goswami is now the managing director and editor-in-chief of Republic TV, which launched on 6 May 2017. Republic TV is now the bête noire of Times Now.

    Goswami still continues to shout down, to run down panelists who don’t agree with him, who don’t listen to him, who don’t see him eye-to-eye. One may like him, hate him, but one just can’t ignore him.

    And this seems to work for viewers, going by the ratings that Republic TV has been getting. Right from the first week of its launch (week 19 of 2017 – Saturday 6 May 2017 to Friday 12 May 2017) the channel has topped Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) ratings in its genre.

    Now, to some background. Republic TV has not had a welcome from its peer English News channels – various attempts have been made to make the channel’s presence in the English News genre as unhealthy as possible. Just a couple of weeks after the launch of Republic TV – in week 21, its peer Indian English news channels had withdrawn their watermarks which made it difficult for BARC to fairly measure ratings for the English News genre – the channels didn’t want BARC to measure the new entrant’s ratings claiming that Republic TV was using unfair means to garner more ratings. BARC refused to kowtow, saying that it was only a measuring agency, and not a compliance agency. For a week, ratings of Indian English news channels were not published by BARC, until the erring channels returned to the BARC audience measurement fold.

    Republic TV has been topping the BARC weekly ratings charts (All India (U+R) : NCCS AB : Males 22+ Individuals) for 15 weeks (14 weeks excluding week 21) since its launch. Republic TV and Times Now are the top two channels in the genre. The other channels – be it India Today Television, NDTV 24×7 or CNN News 18 have so far managed to garner half or lesser viewership than Times Now during the first 33 weeks of 2017.

    In week 19 – the week that it was launched, Republic TV garnered 2.117 million weekly impressions – the second highest ratings ever by a channel in 2017. Week 19 was an ordinary week, and yet the ratings for its biggest competitor and Goswami’s previous employer – Times Now rose by 78 percent to 1.148 million impressions as compared to its week 18 ratings of 0.645 million weekly impressions. The combined ratings of the other 4 channels besides Republic TV that belong to top 5 English News channels list in week 19 (Times Now, NDTV 24×7, India Today Television CNN)   were just a little more than those of Republic TV at 2.165 million weekly impressions. The combined ratings of the English News genre in week 19 of 2017 were 4.282 million, the second highest ratings ever by the genre’s top 5 channels in 2017.

    The only other time that a channel obtained higher ratings was in week 11 of 2017 – (Saturday, 11 March 2017 to Friday 17 March 2017) – this was the week in which election results for five states were announced. Times Now garnered 2.282 million weekly impressions in that week – note Republic TV was not present on television at that time. The combined weekly impressions of the top 5 English News channels in week 11 were 4.897 million– the highest combined ratings obtained by the top 5 channels of the genre to date in 2017.

    Until week 18, the average ratings of the English News genre were 1.884 million weekly impressions. Between weeks 19 and 33 (excluding week 22 ratings) the genre’s average ratings have gone up by 65 percent to 3.107 million weekly impressions. Please refer to the figure below:

    public://1111111111111.jpg

    The other English News channels have also gained because of Republic TV. The average ratings of the other 4 channels from BARC’s top 5 English News channels list between week 19 and week 33 (excluding Republic TV, from week 19 onward) was 1.9 million weekly impressions. The number may seem just a little more than average weekly impressions of 1.884 million of the top 5 English News channels until week18 – note this is the combined number for 5 channels, while average of 1.9 million weekly impressions after week 18 is the number for 4 channels.

    Republic TV’s closest competitor Times Now has seen a 26 percent increase in its average weekly ratings for 14 weeks between weeks 19 and 33 of 2017 (excluding week 21) to 0.947 million weekly impressions as compared to the average of 0.751 million weekly impressions the channel had for 18 weeks – between weeks 1 to 18 of 2017. Over the past few weeks, Times Now ratings have been closing in on Republic TV’s ratings. Will the channel be able to claw back to its numero uno position? Only time can tell.

    ALSO READ :

    Times Now narrows gap with Republic TV, again

    Republic TV & Pushkar’s kin restrained, hearing on 21 Sept

    Do you want argumentative or sophisticated media, asks Arnab Goswami

    Arnab Goswami told to respect Tharoor’s right, Delhi HC hearing on 16 Aug

  • Stunning victory for Republic TV, Republic watches Times Now

    Stunning victory for Republic TV, Republic watches Times Now

    BENGALURU: As news television channels flashed and experts sliced, diced, hashed and rehashed the Supreme Court judgment holding the right to privacy as a fundamental right, the two premier English news television channels continued their own hashing and rehashing of ratings data on air. 

    Examples of the level of mockery that the two channels have made in the name of breaking news are in the title of this story – the first sentence of the title was flashed quite obviously on the Arnab Goswami lead Republic TV and the second one again obviously on Times Now.

    Here is an example of what Times Now viewers saw on their idiot boxes just post 1100 am this morning:

    Some of the prominent flashes on Times Now were statements such as The Republic watches Times Now; Victory for Honesty and Hard Word; India Rejects Stale and Biased Journalism; India endorses Honesty & credibility; Stories that force you to watch; etc.

    Times Now flashed relative share for English News genre: Times Now 42  percent; Republic TV 27 percent; India Today Television 10 percent; CNN News 18 – 8 percent; NDTV 24X 7 10 percent

    And this is what Republic TV viewers saw on their idiot boxes:

    200% greater than Times Now in primetime; Stunning victory for Republic TV; 15 weeks non-stop number 1; Stunning number 1 run continues; All India number 1 again; Forced and fake reach demolished; News wins, Content wins; Sensational leadership continues; Competition demolished in all India numbers.

    Republic TV indicated primetime (2100 to 2300 hours) ratings as 43 percent, 23.27 percent Times Now; CNN News 18 -11.10 percent; India Today Television 12.99 percent; NDTV 24×7 -8.68 percent; News X 1 percent.

    Both the channels have referred to Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly data for week 33 of 2017.

    Also Read:

    Times Now narrows gap with Republic TV, again

    Republic TV & Pushkar’s kin restrained, hearing on 21 Sept

    Times Now closes in on Republic TV

    Arnab Goswami told to respect Tharoor’s right, Delhi HC hearing on 16 Aug

  • Times Now – Republic TV slugfest continues as ratings gap narrows

    BENGALURU: The on-air spat about numerouno status continued between the two biggest players in the English News genre. The slugfest commenced with the launch of Republic TV in week 19 of 2017 on Saturday May 6 2017 with the new channel breaking Times Now’s firm hold on the pole position in the genre and how! Republic TV opened at the top of the English News genre with a stupendous 2.117 million weekly impressions, followed far behind with the usurped leader Times Now with 1.148 million weekly impressions in week 19 of 2017.

    Twelve weeks later, in week 30 (Saturday 22 July 2017 to Friday 28 July 2017), Republic TV still continues to rule the genre. Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) data for week 30 must of the top 5 English News  must be a jolt for the newcomer with Times Now two narrowing the margin to just 2,000 weekly impressions. Republic TV scored 1.074 million weekly impressions and Times Now 1.072 million impressions! Earlier, the closest the two channels ratings had come was in week 24 of 2017 when Republic TV garnered 0.963 million weekly impressions to Times Now’s 0.935million weekly impressions.

    Trailing far behind at third place in week 30 was India Today Television with 0.375 million weekly impressions as per BARC data for the top 5 English News channels – All India (U+R): NCCS AB: Males 22+ Individuals. NDTV 24×7 was fourth with 0.360 million weekly impressions followed close behindby CNN News 18 with 0.354 million weekly impresssions.

    As reported earlier post week 19, theArnabGoswami led new entrant raised the hackles of the existing players- accusations of theft, of rigging the ratings, running a ratings battle on Republic TV and its competition. It was suddenly an all-out war – multiple Goliaths had got together to demolish the fledgling David. The older channels ganged up together to stifle the new channel that the industry says followed practises that were of a doubtful nature. Ultimatums were given to the official ratings agency – BARC, it either stopped publishing Republic TV viewership data or the other Indian English News channels represented by the News Broadcasting Association (NBA) would withdraw their watermarks and hence disable BARC from publishing a fair picture of ratings lists. The NBA backed channels returned to the BARC fold in week 22.

    However, just post 1100 hours on Thursday 3 August 2017, both the channels claimed leadership in the genre by slicing and dicing BARC data to the component that was most favourable to each. Times Now quoted relative share numbers and claimed first place, while Republic TV harped on its leadership position during the primetime debate hours of 900 pm to 1100 pm. Republic TV now turned around and without naming the channel, accused it of using money muscle and unfair trade practises.

    Over the past twelve weeks- eleven weeks actually if one were to eliminate the neglect the ratings for week 21 of 2017, Republic TV’s overall combined ratings are about a third more at 13.368 million impressions than Times Now’s 10.068 million impressions. Please refer to the figure below for weekly impressions by the two channels between weeks 19 and 30 of 2017 excluding week 21.

    public://f_1.jpg

  • Republic TV continues to rule English News genre ratings

    BENGALURU: The Arnab Goswami led Indian English News channel Republic TV continued to lead the ratings in its genre for week 25 of 2017 (Saturday, 17 June 2017 to Friday, 23 June 2017). Broadcast Audience Research Council of India (BARC) weekly data for week 25 showed that Republic TV topped the charts with 868,000 weekly impressions, followed at a fair distance behind (29.6 percent behind) by the earlier genre leader Times Now which scored 670,000 weekly impressions.

    This analysis comes with a few caveats. BBC World News has been present in the weekly top five English News channels list for 18 of the first 25 weeks of 2017. It has not been considered here, since it is not an Indian English News channel, but its ratings have been added to the sum of ratings of the top 5 channels in the English New genre as well as to arrive at average weekly ratings. The combined weekly impressions (CWI) mentioned in this analysis includes only those numbers that the channels garnered when they were in the weekly top five channels’ lists. Their overall actual weekly average impressions during the 25 weeks of 2017 could be different. BARC data for weeks 1 to 25 of 2017 for Top 5 English news channels – All India (U+R): NCCS AB : Males 22+ Individuals has been used. For equitable comparison, week 21 of 2017 data for the genre has not been considered at some places in this analysis.

    Right from its launch in week 19 of 2017 (6 May 2017 to 12 May 2017) Republic TV has led the genre, displacing Times Now.  During week 19, Republic TV had 2,118,000 weekly impressions, almost double that of Times Now which had 1,148,000 weekly impressions in the same week.  As the weeks have passed, the curiosity factor in Republic TV seems to have diminished and in week 24 of 2015, the difference in the ratings of these two main protagonists in the English News genre was 28,000 weekly impressions with Republic TV’s ratings at 963,000 weekly impressions to Times Now ratings at 935,000 weekly impressions.

    The launch of Republic TV gave rise to an ugly war between the existing Indian English News channels and the new entrant. For one week, week 21 of 2017, ratings of the top Indian English news channels were not published as they had stripped their new feeds of the BARC audio watermark. The NBA-backed channels returned to the BARC fold in week 22. Please refer to the chart below for the comparative ratings of the two channels:

    public://F_0.jpg

    Though Republic TV seems to have helped increase the ratings for the genre, overall the genre has seen a progressive fall in the combined weekly ratings of the top 5 channels in week 25 from the high of week 19. Before the launch of Republic TV in week 19, the top 5 English News channels had an average combined viewership of 18,83,611 weekly impressions (for weeks 1 to 18 of 2017). After the launch of Republic TV, average viewership ratings of the top 5 channels from the English News genre climbed up by 15.4 percent to 2,173,417 weekly impressions during weeks 1 to 25 of 2017.

    Please refer to the figure below for English News genre ratings in 2017 until week 25.

    public://F1_14.jpg

    Please refer to the figure below for the list of top 5 English News channels for week 25.

    public://F2_6.jpg

     

  • NDTV Profit to be shut down, to move business & finance segments on NDTV 24×7

    MUMBAI: Its woes don’t seem to be going away. Tax litigation, mounting losses, viewership decline, however, don’t seem to be flagging the spirit at the Prannoy Roy-helmed NDTV. The show must go on is the motto. And to keep it going, the news network has announced plans that it will trim costs by shutting down its English business news channel NDTV Profit, come 5 June.

    In a statement to the BSE, NDTV stated: NDTV has decided to transfer its business programming from Profit to regular business and finance segments on NDTV 24×7. This will mean suspending the current trading hours programming on Profit while Prime will continue as a channel.

    The statement further read: “NDTV does not rule out reviving a business channel when the circumstances were appropriate. “For now, there will be high quality business and finance segments on NDTV 24×7 which will enhance viewer experience on NDTV 24×7 during daytime trading hours,” the company stated added.

    NDTV, in a separate earlier communique to the BSE, stated that it has approved sale of stake in NDTV Ethnic Retail held by units — NDTV Lifestyle Holdings, NDTV Convergence, NDTV Worldwide.

    In the note, it says: “This is to inform you that the Board of Directors of the Company (NDTV), at its meeting held on 5 May, 201 7, inter-alia, considered and approved the following:

    Subject to the approval of the shareholders of the Company to be obtained through passing of special resolution(s), sale/disposal of the entire equity stake owned and held by NDTV Lifestyle Holdings Limited, NDTV Convergence Limited and NDTV Worldwide Limited, each a material subsidiary of the Company in NDTV Ethnic Retail Limited, another material subsidiary of the Company, constituting approx. 99.92% of the total issued, subscribed and paid-up equity share capital of Ethnic, for INR 3.6518 per equity share to Nameh Hotels & Resorts Private Limited , a company incorporated in India under the provisions of the Companies Act, 1956.

  • English TV news channels to return to BARC fold from midnight 26 May

    MUMBAI: There’s another twist in the tale of the story of the ratings of news television channel debutante Republic TV. The five English TV news channel members of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) of India, which had stripped their signals of Broadcast Audience Research Council’s (BARC’s) audio water mark last week, agreed to reinsert it in their streams from their studios just as the clock hand moves past midnight of 26 May.

    This means that NDTV 24×7, Times Now, India Today, NewsX and CNN News18 will once again come under the ambit of BARC’s viewership monitoring. Around a week ago, they had raised a protest after BARC had refused to heed their plea that it should not report Republic TV’s ratings as it had allegedly resorted to rampant multiple LCN placement on cable TV networks across India.

    A spate of appeals, petitions, court hearings followed, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India cracked down on the errant cable TV platforms and almost every appellant and respondent claimed victory following the court orders and directions.

    But finally, hopefully the curtains have been drawn on the messy affair of English news channels, Republic TV, the NBA, TRAI and BARC which suddenly brought them under the spotlight.

    According to a report in a legal website, TV Today Network that had asked for reliefs in a case filed by it against Republic TV in Delhi HC, at one stage submitted that if the malpractice was no longer existent then it would not press for the reliefs prayed for in the petition, provided that the respondents state this on record. After the taking the statements of the respondents on record, the petition was dismissed as withdrawn without the court going into the contentions of either the petitioners or respondents.

    However, NBA maintained the resolution to the crisis was found with Republic TV committing to the Delhi High court that it will cease resorting to placing itself on multiple LCNs and BARC explaining to the association the process to approach such complaints satisfactorily.

  • Republic TV continues to lead English News genre in week after debut

    BENGALURU / MUMBAI: Republic TV claims to have cornered a viewership of 49 per cent for week 20 of 2017 (Saturday 13 May 2017 to Friday 19 May 2017) on its channel. 

    According to BARC India’s weekly data, Republic TV has got 1703 impressions (000s) sums. Times Now with 978 impressions and India Today Television lagging far behind with 289 impressions took the second and the third positions, respectively. 

    Sharing viewership data for other channels, Republic TV states that Times Now had a viewership share of 30 per cent, followed by CNN News 18 and India Today with 7 per cent each. The other major English news channels – NTDV and News X had viewership share of five per cent and 0.6 per cent each, Republic TV claimed. It attributed the ratings to BARC India. 

    According to BARC India’s weekly report, CNN News18 with 281 impressions and NDTV 24×7 with 241 impressions took the fourth and fifth positions, respectively.

    According to data provided by Republic TV (for English News channels in BARC India week 20 ’17, Target Group: – NCCS AB M 22+, Time Band: 0600-2400, 13 May to 17 May’17, in India 1Mn+), Republic TV had 48.7% market share, with the highest average time spent per viewer was 09:29 mins. 

    The viewership of Republic TV was 160% higher than Times Now, 703% higher than CNN News18, 715% than India Today Television & 920% higher than NDTV 24X7. In mega cities, Republic TV had 52.1% viewership, with average time spent per viewers was 11.50 mins, while all other leading channels average time spent was 4.59 mins, according to Republic TV data.

    Republic TV CEO Vikas Khanchandani said that the channel snuffed out competition in the second week of its birth reaffirming the Indian viewer’s choice.

    In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: 2100- 2300), Republic TV had 61% market share. The average time spent of Republic TV was 7.39 mins, while other leading competitor channels average time spent was 3.10 mins. In mega cities, Republic TV’s market share was 55.2%, with an average time spent per viewer was 07.10 mins more than the double of other competitor channels.

    In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: 2200- 2300), Republic TV had 68.7% market share, while Times Now had had only 16.6%, CNN News18 7.1%, NDTV 24X7 4.2% & India Today 2.6%. In mega cities, Republic TV had a market share 63.0%, with an average time spent per viewer was 07.14. Times Now’s market share was only 20.5% & time spent 2.20 mins per viewer. 

    In India 1Mn+ (Time Band: -2000-2400), Republic TV had 55.8% market share. It’s viewership was 238% more than Times Now, 546% more than NDTV 24X7, 937% more than India Today Television & 1379% more than CNN News 18. In mega cities, Republic TV’s market share was 51.5%, double than Times Now’s 25.2%, according to Republic TV data.

  • Indian English news channels boycott BARC’s viewership monitoring

    MUMBAI: In a coordinated move, the English TV channel news members of the News Broadcasters Association (NBA) have decided to pull out of Indian viewership ratings monitor Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC). As of 7 pm today – India Today, Times Now, News X, CNN News19, and NDTV 24×7 – have stopped inserting the BARC water mark in their TV signals from their studios.

    This follows BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta’s decision to publish Republic TV’s viewership data today despite the NBA urging it to refrain from doing so on account of the members’ belief that it had allegedly resorted to massive multi LCN placement of the channel on various MSOs/DPOs and cable TV networks nationally.

    The latest viewership data showed that Republic TV had gone on to capture more than 52 per cent of the viewership.

    The five channels have stated that they have written to BARC in the past about the alleged abuse and tampering of its monitoring methodology and have received a standard response which has been almost indifference to their concerns. And the snub by the ratings agency this morning was the last straw, hence they decided to pull out of the watermarking.

    Sources state that the five channels would like an assurance from BARC that it will only report the data after Republic TV stops allegedly messing around by placing itself in multiple genres and LCNs.

    Additionally, they would like an assurance from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) that the MSOs and DPOs have totally cleaned up their acts and placed Republic TV only in one genre and LCN.

    As the five will not be part of the monitoring from BARC, its next week’s report could end up showing that Republic TV has maximum viewership of the Indian English news genre with international news channels such as BBC, CNN and Al jazeera also picking up. (Updated on 19 May 2017 at 3 pm)

    Indiantelevision.com placed a call to the BARC spokesperson but received no response at the time of writing.

    Questions that arise from this fracas around the ratings and the news channels boycott: How long will this faceoff continue? Will BARC blink first? What currency will advertisers use to decide on which shows and channels to advertise on in the English news genres? Why does it seem like déjà vu? Did the industry err by backing BARC and pulling the shutters down on TAM’s viewership ratings? Will the TRAI or MIB now step in to ensure that some sanity comes into the news channel business (many dread this)? Or will BARC step back and heed the request of the members of the NBA?