New body should determine TV ratings, says broadcast regulator

Broadcast regulator Trai today asked industry body Broadcast Audience Research Council to function as a self-regulatory organisation for measuring and rating broadcasters, while discounting the need for government intervention.    

"The Authority is of the view that government intervention in the form of an enactment is not desirable at this stage. Therefore, self-regulation through the industry-led BARC, has been recommended with government guidelines covering, BARC's organisational structure, functioning and methodology.    

"BARC can be recognised as the institutional framework", Trai said in the recommendations.    

Once BARC starts functioning, the inadequacies of the present system will have to be effectively addressed in close and coordinated manner with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Trai said, while suggesting initiation of activities by BARC by January 2009.    

BARC can have two nominees from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on its board, Trai suggested.    

The broadcast regulator has also recommended that BARC should not directly get involved with the TV rating and instead resort to bidding out the process to arrive at the ratings.    

The Ministry could provide the key eligibility norms for selecting rating agencies and their performance obligation norms, but these shall be recommendatory in nature.