Govt asks BARC to register itself before releasing data

In anticipation of the new system, stakeholders have unsubscribed from TAM's services

Even as stakeholders of the television broadcasting sector are getting used to the new television ratings system under the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the latter has been dealt a blow by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (MIB).

The MIB has sent a letter to the BARC ratings system executives, asking them not to release data till the agency is registered with the ministry.

This puts a spanner in the works as the television broadcasting sector was finally getting a taste of the new ratings system. Moreover, in anticipation of the new system, stakeholders have already unsubscribed from the television audience measurement services of TAM Media Research.

“We find this (MIB letter) very confusing. In the first place, it was the MIB that encouraged the formation of the new ratings system. We have submitted the required documents and applications etc for the registration with the MIB since November 2014. We were told the registration would be complete in the next six months. There has been a delay from their (MIB’s) end. We were ready to roll out the ratings in the meantime,” said a BARC official.

According to him, there needs to be a discussion on the matter since there is a significant investment of around Rs 280 crore, riding on the ratings system and such hurdles definitely slow things down. “Also, it is discriminatory that we have been sent the letter while the incumbent agency continues to be allowed to release ratings,” he added.

It is unclear whether BARC will go ahead with the ratings in the second week. The agency brings out ratings every Wednesday and will include viewership data for the week ending the previous Friday.

Sources said the committee has referred the letter to the legal team and will take a call on whether to come out with ratings depending on what the legal team advises.

In 2013, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) issued recommendations regarding guidelines for audience measurement agencies in India, which the government later approved. Among these was the caveat that in order to release ratings data, an agency must be registered with the MIB. However, Kantar Market Research Services, one of TAM's shareholders, challenged some of these guidelines in the Delhi High Court, and was allowed to issue ratings in an interim order.

TAM confirmed the same in a statement released to the press: “For TAM Media Research, weekly TV viewership data release to the industry will continue as normal. Pursuant to the interim order issued by the High Court of Delhi on February 12, 2014, 1.7(a), 1.7(d), 16.1 and 16.2 of impugned guidelines have been stayed till the disposal of the writ petition 494/2014 (Kantar matter).”

TAM has been releasing data in the media since its subscribers refused to renew their contracts with TAM (ending March 31, 2015. It will continue to release data as usual on Thursday.