The Government on Wednesday constituted a seven-member committee headed by FICCI general secretary Amit Mitra to suggest a robust television rating point (TRP) system mechanism. The committee would review the existing TRP system in India and suggest measures to bring in place an effective mechanism for a transparent TRP system in the country, the Press Trust of India has reported.
It will submit its report within three months from the date of its first meeting, an official statement by the ministry said in New Delhi. The move comes a week after Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni’s announcement on the issue.
Other members of the committee include documentary film maker Rajiv Mehrotra, journalist Neeraja Choudhary, D S Mathur (retired Secretary in Government of India), directors of IIM Ahmedabad and Indian Statistical Institute (Kolkata) and Joint Secretary (Broadcasting) in the I&B Ministry.
The decision to form the committee came amid widespread criticism in the Parliament about the monopolisation of the TRP system by certain private agencies. The concern was over the presence of only two agencies which are involved in this process and which through usage of their limited people’s meter (for measuring TRP) judge the popularity of TV programmes.
The mandate of the committee is to address issues related to accuracy, accountability, transparency and objectivity in the generation of TRPs. It will also examine as to how misleading TRPs can not only impact broadcasters and advertisers but more importantly the viewing public, the statement said.
The Committee would evolve its own methodology to ensure widest possible consultation on the issue. It will also take into account the recommendations of TRAI, the Report of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT, other judicial pronouncements and international best practices to arrive at its recommendations.
The Committee would examine whether an industry-led body like Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC), as had been recommended by TRAI can be the most appropriate mechanism to create TRPs without the existing deficiencies.
The terms of reference of the committee include looking into key issues like the viability of the TRP system in portraying the demographic profile of the viewership in the context of viewing habits and sample size; and coverage area including rural segments of the country and regions such as Jammu and Kashmir and the North-East.
It would also review viewership of all distribution platforms including Terrestrial, Cable, DTH and IPTV. The committee will further look into issues related to adequate transparency in selection of sample homes for placing people’s meters and current disclosure norms adopted by the rating agencies, the statement added.
