New Television Rating Rules Open Doors, Raise Doubts

Potential conflicts of interest could undermine accountability, credibility of data, say experts

- Lata Jha

The central government's proposal on Thursday to amend guidelines for television rating agencies in India could democratize the system, bringing in Big Tech and other private players, but could also undermine accountability and credibility of data due to potential conflicts of interest, industry experts said.

So far, TV rating operations in the country were led by BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), which many saw as a monopoly. On Thursday, the ministry of information and broadcasting said that any company registered in India under the Companies Act, 2013 could seek registration for providing television rating services, as long as it doesn't undertake consultancy or advisory roles, which would lead to a potential conflict of interest with its main objective of rating.

Some clauses in the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India, originally notified in January 2014, that barred the board of directors of a television rating company from broadcasting, advertising, or running an advertising agency, are proposed to be scrapped. Those that dealt with cross-holding restrictions, typically intended to prevent ownership conflicts between related entities, have been eliminated, too, under the proposed amendments.