Union government assumes full control over TV ratings, TRAI role curtailed: Report
New Delhi: The Union government has assumed full control over television audience measurement, removing the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) from oversight of the ratings system that underpins the country’s ₹36,000 crore television advertising market, according to a report published on Wednesday.
The report in Mint said the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB) now has exclusive authority over the framework governing how television ratings are measured and regulated. TRAI had been entrusted with oversight of TV ratings in 2012 during the UPA government’s tenure. TRAI is no longer mentioned in the relevant policy document, effectively vesting sole authority in the MIB.
The report said TRAI will continue to regulate other aspects of broadcasting, including channel pricing, advertising caps, interconnection and distribution norms, service quality and compliance standards. Its role in determining how ratings agencies track viewing behaviour has been withdrawn.
Television Rating Points (TRPs), which reflect viewership patterns, guide advertisers in deciding where to allocate spending across channels and time slots.
A government source quoted in the report said the ministry could modify TRAI’s decisions even when the regulator oversaw broadcasting.
A former CEO of Prasar Bharati told the newspaper that the MIB has historically regulated rating agencies through licensing and guidelines, and by holding them accountable under existing norms.
During its tenure overseeing ratings, TRAI had taken decisions affecting the broadcast sector, which included capping advertising time at 12 minutes per hour following complaints about excessive commercial breaks and it now remains unclear how these matters will be addressed under the revised arrangement.
Satya N. Gupta, former principal advisor at TRAI, was quoted as saying that merging regulatory functions with policy oversight and removing an independent regulator from the process was a retrograde step.
TRAI’s involvement in broadcasting had earlier attracted criticism as well. In 2012, its consultation paper on quantitative limits on television advertising was viewed by some as overlapping with the Advertising Standards Council of India’s code. Subsequent recommendations covering television audience measurement, ownership of news channels and issues such as paid news had also raised concerns among sections of the industry.
Television ratings have faced scrutiny in recent years, including during the controversy involving the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), where officials of the ratings body were prosecuted over allegations of manipulation of viewership data.
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Karnataka: Ex-Lokayukta Santosh Hegde collapses at event, hospitalised; condition stable
Bengaluru (PTI): Former Karnataka Lokayukta justice N Santosh Hegde collapsed during a public event in the city on Friday and was admitted to a private hospital.
The 85-year-old former Supreme Court judge fell ill at a felicitation programme for former minister P G R Sindhia, organised by the Bharat Scouts and Guides at Kondajji Basappa Auditorium.
“While delivering his speech, he appeared fatigued. After speaking for a while, he sat down, felt dizzy, vomited, and collapsed. Those present gave him water, but there was no improvement,” said Dr Ramesh Babu, who provided initial treatment at the venue.
Hegde was later rushed to a private hospital in the official vehicle of Legislative Assembly Speaker U T Khader.
Khader said, “He was given first aid and taken to the hospital in my vehicle.”
Doctors said Hegde, who is diabetic, may have suffered a sudden drop in blood sugar levels.
He is undergoing treatment at Manipal Hospital and is recovering.
In a bulletin, the hospital said, “Justice N Santosh Hegde is under medical supervision in the emergency room at Manipal Hospital, Millers Road, and is doing fine. He is likely to be discharged shortly.”
