The private television companies and pubic broadcaster Prasar Bharati are headed for a major showdown over the formation and execution of Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the new body that will regulate the television ratings business. While BS Lalli, CEO, Prasar Bharati has threatened to walk out of IBF?the apex body of all broadcasters driving BARC?over not getting a permanent representation on the board of BARC, IBF says Lalli was absent in six out of nine meetings of Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) in the last 18-months that were held to fine-tune the formation of BARC. IBF has termed Lalli’s move as ‘hasty’ and ‘premature’.
The industry-led BARC is currently under formation and is driven by IBF and advertisers. BARC will become the nodal body for regulating the business of television audience measurement and television rating points (TRPs). However, since BARC has received the government support on grounds that it will be driven by safeguarding public interest, Prasar Bharati is taking advantage of its position of being the only public broadcaster, industry sources told FE.
Reacting strongly to the arm-twisting ways of public broadcaster Prasar Bharati, IBF says despite Lalli’s absence from their meetings on BARC, it kept him in the loop on the developments on BARC through the minutes of the meetings. Lalli has sought an active role in BARC on the back of the widest reach of Doordarshan in the country. Prasar Bharati has accused the current TRP business of being skewed and in favour of advertisers and private cable channels who incidentally are driving the formation of BARC. However, IBF says the registration of BARC, a section-25 company (not-for-profit company), is yet to materialise therefore the formation of BARC’s board is yet to begin.
In a missive shot to Prasar Bharati CEO, IBF president Jawahar Goel has termed Lalli’s grievances as ‘hasty’ and ‘premature’. IBF has urged Lalli to hold its decision till the next board meeting of IBF.
“There was no conflict of views with regard to the composition of BARC…after registration, the IBF board will decide way forward such has who will be the representatives in the board of directors of BARC…we therefore feel that your grievances are rather hasty and it is very premature for Prasar Bharati to opt out of the membership of IBF,” Goel told Lalli in the letter.
This is significant because IBF realises that BARC cannot become a success without an active role of Prasar Bharati. A recent report of the Parliamentary standing committee said that public interest had to be kept in mind while setting up any agency to control TV ratings. The business of TRPs have come under the government review after receiving adverse reports from broadcasters and advertisers. TRP are important as they decide the course of around Rs 10,000 crore of advertising revenue generated on television. Prasar Bharati?that runs AIR and Doordarshan?has raised concern that the current rating system blocks out the 600,000 villages and the tehsils and district headquarters where Doordarshan has the maximum reach.