"Sensational coverage": MIB directs BARC to withhold TRP ratings for news channels for four weeks
New Delhi: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Friday directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to withhold reporting of Television Rating Points (TRPs) for news channels for four weeks or until further notice, news agency ANI reported.
Citing the official order of the Ministry, ANI reported that the decision was taken due to concerns over “unwarranted sensationalism and speculative content” during coverage of the ongoing Israel–Iran conflict.
The Ministry stated that such content could create panic among the public, especially among people who have friends and family in the affected regions.
The order referred to Clause 24.2 of the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India, which requires companies to follow directions issued by the Ministry. Based on this provision, BARC has been instructed to immediately stop reporting TRPs for news television channels.
“In the public interest, the Ministry directs M/s BARC to immediately withhold reporting the Television Rating Points (TRPs) for News TV Channels for a period of four weeks or until further directions, whichever is earlier,” the order read.
TRP are measured every week by the agency BARC and news channels use it to to secure advertisement revenue
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting suspends TV ratings for 4 weeks or until further notice.
— ANI (@ANI) March 6, 2026
Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has observed that amidst the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict, certain News TV Channels are displaying unwarranted sensationalism and…
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Man arrested with Rs 2.54-crore heroin in Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): Police have arrested a man and seized over 500 grams of heroin worth Rs 2.54 crore in the illicit market from him in Mumbai, officials said on Friday.
The police's Anti-Narcotics Cell (ANC) made the drug seizure in Santacruz in the western suburbs. The operation was conducted by the Kandivali unit of the ANC on Thursday as part of a special crackdown against drug trafficking in the area, they said.
Acting on specific inputs, an ANC team conducted a raid in Santacruz (East) and intercepted a man. During a search, the team recovered 508 grams of high-grade heroin from his possession, an official said.
The seized contraband, a highly addictive, opioid drug derived from morphine, is estimated to be worth Rs 2.54 crore in the international market, he informed.
Following the seizure, a case was registered against the man under relevant sections of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985, and he was formally placed under arrest in the early hours of Friday.
The police are currently investigating the source of the drug and trying to identify the intended recipients of the consignment, he said.
