TRP probe: Freeze on rating news channels for 8-12 weeks

BROADCAST Audience Research Council (BARC), the industry body that measures Television Rating Points (TRPs), has suspended the publication of weekly individual ratings of news channels for “eight to12 weeks”, days after Mumbai Police began investigating a “racket” of fraudulent manipulation of TRPs.

Five persons, including two former employees of Hansa, the agency that calculates the ratings for BARC, have been arrested. At least three channels — Arnab Goswami’s Republic, Box Cinemas, and Fakt Marathi — are allegedly involved in the racket, according to police.

In a statement, BARC said that “[i]n the light of the recent developments, BARC Board has proposed that its Technical Committee (Tech Comm) review and augment the current standards of measuring and reporting the data of niche genres,