I&B forms a committee to review Guidelines on Television Rating Agencies

New Delhi, November 05: Following a row over an alleged TRP scam, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Wednesday, constituted a four-member committee, led by Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi S Vempati to review the guidelines on television ratings in India.

 

 

 

 

I&B announced that "Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has today constituted a committee to review “Guidelines on Television Rating Agencies in India” notified by the Ministry in 2014."

 

In order, the Ministry said, the present guidelines on Television Rating agencies in India were notified after detailed deliberations by the Parliamentary Committee, Committee on Television Rating Points constituted by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and recommendations from Telecom Regulatory Authority.

 

"Based on the operation of the guidelines for a few years, there is a need to have a fresh look on the guidelines particularly keeping in view the recent recommendations of Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI), technological advancements/inventions to address the system and further strengthening of the procedures for a credible and transparent rating system, a committee is hereby constituted to study the different aspects of the television rating system in India as they have evolved over a period of time," the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a notification.

 

 

 

 

According to the I&B, the committee will examine the different aspects of television rating systems in India and carry out any changes, if necessary. The panel team will comprise Dr. Shalabh, Professor of Statistics, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, IIT Kanpur; Dr. Rajkumar Upadhyay, Executive Director, C-DOT; and Professor Pulak Ghosh, Decision Sciences Centre for Public Policy (CPP) as its members

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The Committee will also carry out an appraisal of the existing system, examine TRAI recommendations notified from time to time, overall industry scenario, and addressing the needs of the stakeholders and make recommendations for a robust, transparent, and accountable rating system through changes, if any, in the existing guidelines. The mandate of the committee is to go through past recommendations along with recent recommendations made by TRAI and suggest steps to enhance competition in the sector.

 

Further, the committee will handle any issues related or incidental to TRP and make recommendations on a way forward for a robust, transparent, and accountable rating system in India. Moreover, the Committee will submit its report to the Minister for Information & Broadcasting within two months.

This committee comes after Mumbai police, busted the scam last month, also made arrests in the case. Moreover, the Mumbai police have arrested eight people in the case and are scrutinising the financial transactions of five television channels.