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Panel to review TRP norms:
The Information and Broadcasting Ministry has constituted a four-member committee to review the guidelines on television rating agencies.
It will be headed by Shashi Shekhar Vempati, CEO of Prasar Bharati.
Background:
This comes after the Mumbai police investigations which revealed that a few news channels had tampered with the ratings.
Need for new guidelines:
A need has been felt to have a fresh look keeping in view of the recent recommendations of TRAI, technological advancements and for further strengthening of the procedures for a credible and transparent rating system.
What is Target Rating Point (TRP)?
Sometimes it is also known as the Television Rating Points.
- It is the metric used by the marketing and advertising agencies to evaluate viewership.
- TRPs represent how many people, from which socio-economic categories, watched which channels for how much time during a particular period.
How is it recorded?
In India, the TRP is recorded by the Broadcast Audience Research Council using Bar-O-Meters that are installed on televisions in selected households.
- As on date, the BARC has installed these meters in 44,000 households across the country.
Why these ratings are important?
- On the basis of audience measurement data, ratings are assigned to various programmes on television.
- Television ratings in turn influence programmes produced for the viewers.
- Better ratings would promote a programme while poor ratings will discourage a programme.
- Incorrect ratings will lead to production of programmes which may not be really popular while good programmes may be left out.
- Besides, TRPs are the main currency for advertisers to decide which channel to advertise on by calculating the cost-per-rating-point (CPRP).
What is BARC?
It is an industry body jointly owned by advertisers, ad agencies, and broadcasting companies, represented by the Indian Society of Advertisers, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation and the Advertising Agencies Association of India.
- Created in 2010.
- I&B Ministry notified the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India on January 10, 2014 and registered BARC in July 2015 under these guidelines, to carry out television ratings in India.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- What is TRP?
- How is it decided?
- What is BARC?
Mains Link:
What do you understand by TRP? How can it be rigged? Discuss.
Sources: the Hindu.
