No1 News Network With Two Others Named In TRP Scam
The Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh on 10 October announced that Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has busted a Television Rating Point (TRP) rigging scam in its latest reports which says three channels including no 1 news network Republic TV and other two Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema are allegedly running a manipulative TRP racket.
He told reporters the name of Republic TV is coming out of an investigation and it looks like that its directors, promoters and employees all are involved in this fake TRP scam.
The TRP in India is calculated on the basis of sampling done by the help of barometers installed in the households and the total ratings are calculated on an average ratings shown by these barometers. The Republic TV is accused for paying those households where these barometers are installed to keep the channel on whether they are watching or not or simply asked the cable providers to ensure that the channel appears first when the television is switched on.
Following the investigation the Mumbai police summoned the CFO of Republic TV Shiva Subramaniyam Sundaram for recording his statement relating to the TRP scam but he did not appear citing reasons that the channel has filed a petition in the Supreme Court for which the hearing is scheduled within the same week, so the police should not proceed and also he has some pre- scheduled meeting so he will be available only after 14-15.
However, later on the probe in TRP scam was joined by the Sam Balsara, the chairman and managing director of Ad agency Madison World with CIU of the Mumbai crime branch.
The investigation had also summoned the accountants of the other two channels and now four are arrested for criminal breach of trust and cheating including the owners of both the Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema, Hansa Market Research relationship manager Vishal Bhandari and Bompalli Rao Mistry who works in film production firms.
The CIU of Mumbai police further questioned senior Republic TV executives with its CEO Vikas Kanchanchani and COO Hersh Bhandari and distribution head Ghanshyam at a resort in Daman, but both the Kanchandani and Bhandari denied the claims of TRP manipulation and then they both were asked to return next day with the documents pertaining all the information relating to their work and decisions regarding all the advertisement revenues.
The probe has now successfully found the accused behind the payment made to households to keep these channels on for gaining TRP and with this the BARC India has authorized Subsidiary Meterology Data (MDL) and Hansa Market Research to install and operate these barometers by authorized vendors.
On Wednesday in its ongoing probe the CIU recorded the statements of senior editorial staffer and Republic’s Mumbai based editor Niranjan Narayanswamy and has also asked him to report again on Thursday with senior excutive editor Abhishek Kapoor.
Meanwhile, the Supreme court denied to entertain the Republic TV’s plea in TRP scam which was filed against the Mumbai police investigation but the top judicial body has allowed the Republic TV to move its plea to Bombay High Court for the relief citing the location of the court which is located near one of Republic’s offices.
In the latest development, the BARC India chairperson Punit Goenka said amid the ongoing TRP scam of three media channels it is now necessary to review protocols and has stopped the weekly ratings of all news channels for three months to review its measurement system.
This will cease the publishing of the weekly ratings for around three months with proper supervision by BARC Tech Communications.