Govt considering setting guidelines for TV rating agencies

Government is likely to take a call soon on establishing guidelines for TV rating agencies to address the ticklish issue of viewership measurement of channels.
The I&B ministry had earlier referred the matter to broadcasting sector regulator TRAI which had drafted recommendations on the guidelines for TV rating agencies.
After an inter-ministerial committee approved the TRAI guidelines, the I&B ministry had decided to take the issue to the union cabinet for approval. The matter is likely to come up for discussion in the upcoming meetings of the cabinet, sources said.
As per the TRAI guidelines, TV rating agencies should have 20,000 panel homes for collecting viewership data and this number should increase till the figure of 50,000 is reached.

The rating agency (excluding BARC) shall have a minimum net worth of Rs 20 crore TRAI has suggested. Any member of the Board of Directors of the television rating company shall not be in the business of broadcasting or advertising, TRAI has held.
The regulator had also held that any agency which can meet the eligibility conditions should be allowed to register with the I&B ministry for doing the rating work.
TRAI in its recommendations said that a rating agency should get its processes audited internally quarterly and through an independent auditor annually and all reports should be posted on the website of the agency, TRAI said.