With news broadcaster NDTV taking on Nielsen in a US court over flaws in the television audience measurement data in India, the central government is set to step in on the pending issue of large-scale overhaul of the television rating point (TRP) mechanism as suggested by the government-appointed Amit Mitra panel in January 2011.
The move comes after the broadcaster and advertisers’ body repeatedly missed the timeline proposed by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry to streamline the TRP business in the country. TRP data not only affect the flow of over R10,000 crore of advertisers’ money generated on TV, but also affect the content and programming of channels.
While the Mitra panel had rejected any direct role of the government, it suggested government’s intervention by engaging the broadcast sector regulator if private broadcasters and advertisers fail to make headway. “That stage has come now when Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may be asked to step in as the ground-level work is extremely slow. The government is duty-bound to see that TRP mechanism is revamped,” a government source said.
Meanwhile, when NDTV spokesperson confirmed having filed a lawsuit in the United States of America involving Nielsen and its various subsidiaries including TAM Media India. “We confirm we have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of New York State. Since the matter is sub-judice, we cannot comment,” the NDTV spokesperson told Financial Express .
The move comes after the broadcaster and advertisers’ body repeatedly missed the timeline proposed by the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry to streamline the TRP business in the country. TRP data not only affect the flow of over R10,000 crore of advertisers’ money generated on TV, but also affect the content and programming of channels.
While the Mitra panel had rejected any direct role of the government, it suggested government’s intervention by engaging the broadcast sector regulator if private broadcasters and advertisers fail to make headway. “That stage has come now when Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) may be asked to step in as the ground-level work is extremely slow. The government is duty-bound to see that TRP mechanism is revamped,” a government source said.
Meanwhile, when NDTV spokesperson confirmed having filed a lawsuit in the United States of America involving Nielsen and its various subsidiaries including TAM Media India. “We confirm we have filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of New York State. Since the matter is sub-judice, we cannot comment,” the NDTV spokesperson told Financial Express .