Following the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India?s (Trai?s) recommendation on Television Rating Point (TRP) business that favoured self-regulation but envisaged a role for the government in the entire exercise, the industry members may seek more time and send a representation in four weeks time to the regulator to reconsider aspects of the recommendation.
In some quarters of the industry that include broadcasters, advertisers and advertising agencies and agencies offering rating services, the members feel too much power has been conceded to the ministry of information and broadcasting (I&B) even though Trai calls it self regulation?.
A stakeholder in Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), that has been suggested by Trai to become the institutional body to supervise the rating procedure, on the condition of anonymity said, ?First and foremost, all stakeholders?India Society of Advertisers (ISA), Association of Advertising Agencies of India (AAAI) and the Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) had united under the ambit of BARC to offer another alternative to the rating agencies. Trai has changed the mandate of the body to supervise the rating business. The suggestion to depute two nominees from the government on BARC board and granting them de facto veto power hardly leaves us with any scope for self regulation.?
Trai has held in its recommendation that there shall be two ministry nominees on the board of directors of BARC. While the government nominees will not have voting rights on any resolution, their affirmative vote will be a pre-requisite on the issue of TRP agency selection methodology. Business shall be transacted at any board meeting with one government nominee present. A section of industry fears that since the recommendation will have to be approved by the I&B ministry, this clause can be modified to grant veto power to the ministry representatives.
According to another industry member, stakeholders will also take up the issue of the memorandum of understanding (MoU) that BARC has to sign with the ministry apart from seeking time of around four weeks to respond to Trai?s recommendation. ?We were not opposed to a set of guidelines from the ministry but giving the government an upper hand by attaching a rider at each stage wasn?t what we expected,? said a broadcaster.
Formal reaction was difficult to come by and most players remained guarded in expressing their take on the recent recommendation. The spokesperson of rating agency TAM Media Research said, ?We are currently studying the document and hence will comment, if required, at a later stage. It is too early to comment?. The Indian Broadcasting Foundation spokesperson also said, ?We can comment only after reading the fine print?. The aMap CEO Amit Varma said, ?Although we are yet to read the whole document, on the face of it the measures taken to make the system more inclusive look quite positive?. Trai in its recent recommendations on the rating business has suggested that BARC supervise the entire system but its board should consist of two ministry nominees.
FE had reported on July 2nd Trai is considering a national expert body which would constitute of all stakeholders including the government to supervise the rating process in the country.