Centre sets up committee to review TV ratings system

The Centre has set up a four-member committee to review the television ratings system and make “recommendations for a robust, transparent and accountable” system , the information and broadcasting (I&B) ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The Centre’s decision comes amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of Television Rating Points (TRPs) manipulation by a few TV news channels. In October, the parliamentary panel on Information Technology chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor noted that TRPs “can be easily manipulated”.

The committee consists of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi V Vempatti, Dr Shailabh from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT)- Kanpur, Rajkumar Upadhyay from the Centre for Development of Telematics (C-DOT) and professor Pulak Ghosh from the Centre for Public Policy, the statement said. It has to submit its report in two months.