ITV

Tag: ratings agency

  • Barc reaching out broadcasters to inform about new reporting standards: I&B minister

    Barc reaching out broadcasters to inform about new reporting standards: I&B minister

    Mumbai: The minister of information and broadcasting Anurag Thakur told the Lok Sabha that the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India is reaching out to all constituents to sufficiently inform and educate them about new augmented data reporting standards and would require eight weeks’ time to resume the reporting of individual news channels.

    In October 2020, Barc announced that it would cease publishing weekly individual ratings of news and niche genres for an initial period of 8-12 weeks. The I&B ministry directed Barc to maintain the status quo in February 2021 in view of alleged reports of manipulation of rating data and review the whole ecosystem of publishing of ratings.

    A committee was instituted under the chairmanship of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati which made recommendations on strengthening corporate governance and bolstering technical oversight of the existing rating agency.

    “In the spirit of the recommendations of the above-said TRP Committee and Trai, various steps on corporate governance and on streamlining of processes and their transparency have been taken by Barc,” said Anurag Thakur. “The management involvement in the rating generation process has been institutionally removed. The Oversight and Technical Committees within Barc have been strengthened for data validation and methodology. The access protocols for data have also been revamped and tightened. Notwithstanding the existing processes put in place by Barc, reforms are a continuous process and policy prescriptions as may be required are made by the government from time to time.”

    “After review of the steps taken by Barc on corporate governance and on streamlining of processes and their transparency etc. Barc had been asked on 12 January to resume the release of the news ratings,” he added.

  • IBF asked to file affidavit in Kantar case; matter put off to 12 May

    IBF asked to file affidavit in Kantar case; matter put off to 12 May

    NEW DELHI: The Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) was today formally impleaded in the Kantar case in Delhi High Court and asked to file its affidavit in the matter.

     

    Thereafter, Kantar Market Research will file its rejoinder and the matter has been fixed by Justice Rajiv Shakder to 12 May.

     

    The case had been filed by Kantar Market Research challenging the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India, and in particular on the clause relating to cross-media ownership. The matter had come up last in September 2014.

     

    Meanwhile, the interim order on the case will continue that will allow Kantar’s subsidiary TAM Media Research to publish ratings till the verdict on the case is out.

     

    Although TAM and Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) were the only two applicants under the guidelines as of December 2013, TAM has still not received any response from the Information and Broadcasting Ministry on its application.

     

    The News Broadcasters Association (NBA) has been impleaded early in the case in favour of the guidelines.

     

    While declining to stay the Guidelines in February last year, Justice Manmohan had stayed sections 16.1 and 16.2 of the Guidelines, thus giving freedom to TAM to offer ratings to its clients.

     

    The sections relating to cross-holding, which state that the same company cannot hold shares in both TRP companies and the media are 1.7a and 1.7d.

     

    Kantar had argued that any action relating to Fundamental Rights had to be done through an act of Parliament and not by an executive order. Any attempt to regulate television rating agencies was tantamount to interfering with the freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a), it had argued. 

  • Hearing on Kantar petition adjourned till 11 July

    Hearing on Kantar petition adjourned till 11 July

    MUMBAI: The Delhi High Court today adjourned hearing on a petition by Kantar Market Research Services challenging the government’s cross-shareholding norm for television rating agencies till 11 July.

     

    The court had earlier stayed operation of the cross-shareholding norm till the case is disposed of. And in accordance with the court’s directive, TAM Media Research, which is jointly owned by Kantar and Nielsen, last month applied to the Ministry of Information & Broadcasting for its registration as a television ratings service.

     

    The cross-shareholding norm, which came into effect from 15 February, debars shareholders owning more than 10 per cent of a television rating agency from having stakes in broadcasters and advertising agencies.

     

    TAM has also been allowed to continue publishing its television ratings till the court decides on the Kantar petition.

     

    Kantar had today sought adjournment of the case to April but the court decided to have the next hearing only in July.

     

    The election commission on Wednesday announced the dates for the 9-phase polling for Lok Sabha elections and the results would be announced on May 16.

     

    With the announcement of the election schedule, the election code of conduct came into effect which bars governments from taking any policy decisions.