TRAI's fresh recommendations on TV rating guidelines

Also asks I&B Ministry to notify guidelines for these agencies within two months

TV rating agencies should have a minimum of 20,000 panel homes for collecting viewership data and this number should increase by 10,000 every year till the figure of 50,000 is reached, broadcasting sector regulator TRAI has recommended.

In fresh recommendations on 'guidelines for TV rating agencies' released today, TRAI has also asked the Information & Broadcasting Ministry to notify guidelines for these agencies within two months.

The regulator pointed out that it had examined the same subject in 2008 but rued that little or no action was taken on its earlier recommendations.

TRAI chief Rahul Khullar told reporters that due to inaction over past recommendations, a two-month time frame for notification of guidelines had been suggested.

"These are our suggestions, that you have to implement this system. Whatever files you have to move, after taking a decision, announce them in two months... When we sent recommendations four years ago, nothing has been done till now," he said.

"There must be some degree of certainty when we make a recommendation, you take action on it, reject the recommendations if you don't like it," he added.

TRAI had been asked by the I&B ministry last year to give recommendations on issues related to creation of guidelines or accreditation mechanism for TV viewership rating agencies.

TV ratings has been a contentious subject for long with channels often questioning their reliability.

In its latest recommendations, TRAI suggested that panel homes should be selected from a pool which is at least 10 times the number of panel homes for audience measurement.

It also suggested a voluntary code of conduct by the industry for maintaining secrecy and privacy of the panel homes. TRAI further suggested restrictions on substantial equity holding of 10 per cent or more between rating agencies, broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies.

The rating agency should set up an effective complaint redressal system, TRAI has said.