Most stakeholders in the industry are sceptical of BARC ratings, with the widespread perception being that the system is still not foolproof
Most of the annual deals of news channels are done in the March-April period and so a lot is riding on the ratings
Thakur also spoke on the schemes of the government for the production, promotion, and preservation of film content
The TRP scam, which came to light in 2020, troubled the TV audience measurement body in 2021 as well
The three applicants have been made accused in the supplementary chargesheet filed in June 2021
In February, Times Network had issued a legal notice to BARC for fraudulent viewership manipulation and tampering of Television Audience Measurement & Television Rating Points
The properties are in the form of land and commercial and residential units in Mumbai, Indore, Delhi, and Gurgaon apart from some bank deposits
It is believed that a few other senior officers from Lulla's core team were also questioned by the authorities
The bail has been reportedly granted after the payment of PR Bond of Rs 2 lakh
Without getting into the TRP scam controversy, Shankar said that the unhealthy obsession for ratings has led to this degradation
A single-judge Bench comprising Justice PD Naik witnessed the arguments presented by Special Public Prosecutor Shishir Hiray after Senior Advocate Aabad Ponda's submissions
Special public prosecutor Shishir Hiray accused Dasgupta of 'forum shopping,' a charge that was denied by the ex-BARC CEO's counsel
The minister also said that the news reports published since October 2020 expressed some concerns relating to Television Rating Points
The former BARC CEO has sought bail on the ground that other accused in the case have been granted bail
According to media reports, rejecting Dasgupta’s bail plea, the sessions court said if he were to be released on bail at this stage, then there is every possibility that he may tamper with evidence
The report alleges that Manashi Kumar misused company funds and aided people movement to carry out malpractices
This is the second time that Dasgupta’s bail plea has been rejected following his arrest in the TRP scam
As per ARCP's analysis, Venkat Sujit Samrat, former BARC Product Head, gave out specific instructions to cut viewership ratings of a few news channels, keeping the senior management informed
The original deadline for the twelve-week suspension was Friday
The top management of BARC is assiting the Enforcemnet Directorate to unravel viewership manipulation case
We are disturbed to notice emails exchanged within BARC over a period of time, especially about the Telugu news genre, says the channel
The government will now study the report and will take further actions accordingly
The court has however refused to grant bail, adjourning the matter to January 15 and stating that no further adjournments will be granted thereafter
TRP Scam: The chargesheet has been filed by the Mumbai Police in a Mumbai Magistrate Court
While rejecting his bail application, the court also pointed out that the accused is an influential person and played a vital role in the 'ratings scam'
The former BARC CEO has been arrested in connection with the TRP scam
Not really, feel experts who say the industry continues to rely on the data provided by BARC
The claim has been made by the former BARC CEO, arrested in the TRP scam, in his bail application
As per police investigations, the accused conspired to raise the TRPs of their channels and paid Dasgupta in lakhs on several occasions
According to media reports, Mumbai police, in its custody application submitted in court, claimed that Dasgupta increased one particular channel’s viewership, while decreasing other channel’s
We bring you a roundup of the news that made headlines this past week
In a statement released by BARC in light of ex CEO Partho Dasgupta’s arrest, it said that infringement of its ethics code will invite disciplinary action
This is the 15th arrest in the TRP scam
He is the 13th person to be arrested so far, reportedly a day ahead of his anticipatory bail hearing
News reports say that Deokar, who is the deputy general manager at Hansa, has been summoned for his statement on money laundering in the ongoing TRP scam
Industry leaders say BARC’s efficiency should not be questioned solely because some channels have come under the scanner
Republic TV has been demanding a CBI probe, accusing the Mumbai police of going after the channel after their recent clash over the Sushant Singh Rajput case.
CBI took up the case after Yogi Adityanath-led UP government recommended it following a complaint registered in the state
Republic TV's advocate submitted in court that the FIR does not mention Republic TV as an accused yet, but if summons is issued, Arnab Goswami will appear before the authorities and cooperate
Industry experts say Return Path Data system can be one of the solutions, but its implementation is difficult and can take another few years
While some brands like Bajaj, Parle, Dollar and Amul have decided to boycott channels spreading 'toxicity' and 'fake content', others have opted for a cautious wait-and-watch policy
Guest Column: Ronita Mitra, Founder, Brand Eagle Consulting, writes why an environment fraught with squabbles amid the recent TRP scandal is an unnecessary risk to any brand’s equity
Guest Column: Mehta, former president of Editors Guild of India & ex-member of Press Council of India, writes how the recent TRP scam is affecting the credibility of the news business