Broadcast Council BARC makes temporary ban on news channels' weekly TRP list after Republic controversy

The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has temporarily banned the television rating point (TRP). This stay can be for the next eight to twelve weeks. The Technical Committee of the Council will review the entire process of issuing TRP and it will be re-started only after validation. Last Thursday, Mumbai Police claimed that some channels like Republic increase TRP by paying money.

BARC CEO Sunil Lulla said, "We at BARC our job is to report truthfully and honestly. We work in unison so that the purpose of guessing the audience is served correctly. We are working on several options to implement the Global Standards and to fix illegal things happening in this system. "

What is the matter?

The Mumbai Police held a press conference on October 8, claiming to have busted the Falls TRP racket. Police commissioner Parambir Singh told the press conference that three channels, including Republic TV, used to buy TRPs and pay money. So far five people have been arrested in this case. People associated with these channels will be called for questioning.

Police had also said that investigations were being carried out against the promoter and director of the Republic. Those detained have confessed that these channels used to pay money and change TRPs. On the other hand, Republic Media Network has termed these allegations as false.

What is BARC?

BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council) is an industry body jointly owned by advertisers, ad agencies, and broadcasting companies. It is the joint owner of the Indian Society of Advertisers, the Indian Broadcasting Foundation, and the Advertising Agency Association of India.

What is TRP?

TRP is the television rating point. This is the way to know the popularity and number of audiences of any TV program. TRP shows how many people watched a show.

If a show has a higher TRP, it means that people are liking that channel or that show. Advertisers know from the TRP which shows to advertise on will be beneficial.

In simple words, TRP tells how many people from which socio-economic background have been watching which channel for how long. It can be in an hour, in a day or some time of a week.

What is the importance of TRP for channels?

How to Calculate TRP?

BARC has installed the device in about 45 thousand homes, which is called Bar-O-Meter or People Meter. This meter records embedded watermarks in the show.

The BARC remote has a separate button for each member of each household. While watching the show, they have to press the button, which lets the BARC know which show the family member has watched for how long.

On this basis, the BARC explains what is the pattern of watching shows or programs in 200 million TV viewing families or what 84 crore viewers are watching and for how long.

These families are divided into 12 categories under the new Consumer Classification System (NCCS) in 2015. In this, along with the level of education of the main earning member of the family, the availability of electricity from the home to the car is the basis.

How is BARC data used?

Bark releases its data every Thursday. It divides into audience demographics - age, education, income, etc., how long people are watching a show. The advertising revenue of the channel depends on it.

This means that what the whole country is watching, it tells the devices installed on the TV of these 45 thousand families. Bark keeps these devices confidential, but allegations of molestation have been occurring before. The charges of the Mumbai Police Commissioner are the new charges in this episode.

According to FICCI and Ernst & Young reports, India's TV industry stood at Rs 78,700 crore last year. In this too, TRP was the main criterion for advertisers to advertise.

How can TV channels affect TRP?

TV channels affect TRPs in two ways. First, if they know where the Bar-O-Meter or People Meter are installed, they motivate those families to watch their channels directly through cash or gifts. Second, they ensure that their channels are first seen by viewers through cable operators or multi-system operators.