The TRP (Television Rating Point) aspect of news channels are under scrutiny and highlights of current deliberations. Advertisement Market amounts to mammoth of approx. 24,000 crore rupees, in where various TV channels are vetted and selected to advertise on basis of TRP ratings which is issued by BARC (Broadcasting Foundation and the Advertising Agencies Association of India). The basic nature of business revolves around three parties majorly, the Corporates, Advertisement agencies and Television channels. Rhetorically, if we analyze the procedure, these Corporates (who wants to advertise its products/services) contacts ad agencies who sets up advertisement and decides over which TV channel such advertisement will be exhibited. Such decision is solely on the basis of TRP ratings issued on daily basis by BARC. The functionality aspect of TRP is glued by the guidelines issued by I&B ministry in order to establish a clear image of viewership of a particular channel.
BARC determines such TRPs by evaluating and monitoring the viewership with the help of meters which is installed over 44,000 households in whole of India. Such households are selected on a random basis. The information to such installations is discrete and kept in secrecy. This is what procedural guidelines states, but ground reality is way different than rhetoric which is instated through these guidelines. Realistically, the accusations over a TV News channels over manipulating and tainting the TRP ratings is not a new deliberation, it has been happening since a long time.
TV news channels are majorly accused of TRP manipulation and tainting, the accusations revolve as such that these TV news channels bribe and manipulate the authorities which alter the working of the Meters which is installed to calculated TRPs. Another problem which is hoisted by such scenarios is that there is in investment of Rupees 24,000 Crores which is solely on basis of viewership of 44,000 households. In many cases households are paid and bribed by some influential Television Channels to increase the TRPs of their respective channels, eventually such action leads to more profit generation.
A huge lacuna and numerous loopholes is induced within the anatomical nexus of TV channels, TRP rating and functioning of BARC.
Is there any solution to such problem? Yes, there should be stringent inducement of various Codes of Conduct which will eventually guide the functioning and anatomy of Advertisement Industry. There should be a regulatory body constituted under such code which will act as an ombudsman and watchdog to the activities of advertisement agencies and TV channels. Such code will amplify the power of authorities by the way of enhancing and inducing penal consequences. Functioning of BARC should be monitored and should be keenly scrutinized where there is suspicion detected.
Media, is referred as the third pillar of democracy and in order to enhance its functioning, a proper check and thwart over the industry is much needed.
Yashraj Srivastava
(Intern at LEXAMEET)
5th Year Law Student,
School of law, CHRIST (Deemed to be University),
Bangalore.
