Govt suspends TRP ratings of TV news channels amid Iran war

The Government has directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council-BARC to immediately suspend the reporting of television rating points for news TV channels for four weeks. According to the directive, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that some TV news channels are displaying unwarranted sensationalism and speculative content amid the ongoing Israel-Iran conflict. The ministry said that such coverage can potentially create panic among the general public, especially people with friends and family in the affected areas or those living there. The directives said the suspension would remain in force for four weeks or until further directions, whichever came earlier.The government invoked Clause 24.2 of the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India, issued 16 January, 2014, under which BARC is registered. The clause states that “the company shall be required to comply with any orders, regulations, guidelines, directions, etc., issued by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from time to time.”
TRPs are the metric used by broadcasters and advertisers to assess viewership and determine advertising rates. A suspension of TRP reporting directly affects the commercial positioning of news channels, removing a tool that networks use to attract advertising revenue and benchmark audience share against competitors. Established under the aegis of the broadcasting industry in 2010, the BARC is the sole body authorised to measure and publish television audience data in India. Its ratings feed into multi-crore advertising deals across the industry, making any suspension a matter of consequence well beyond editorial conduct.
In 2020, the I&B ministry had ordered a similar suspension of TRP ratings for news channels for several weeks amid controversy over data manipulation, when a Mumbai Police investigation had implicated certain broadcasters.