Down For The Count

TAM (a joint venture between Nielson Media Research and IMRB International) has been monitoring viewership patterns in metros for over a decade now. In the past, its verdict has mostly been taken for the holy truth, but there have also been instances when its ratings have been questioned and criticised. Many TV channels have said that its sample size is limited, does not reflect real viewership figures. Now a new twist has been added. Last week, Union I&B minister Priyaranjan Das Munshi—who’s been trying to bring some order and transparency in the measuring of TRPs—told Parliament that he had been receiving threatening calls. He says some "vested interests" had rung him up, threatened him with dire consequences. The I&B minister says he was told by channels to steer clear from regulating the TRP business. Defending his decision to order a TRAI inquiry, Das Munshi asks, "Why should it be left as it is? I will definitely get to the bottom of the racket."

Now, gauging viewership has all along been an exercise left to the industry. Why was the I&B minister monitoring the outcome of TRPs? Industry sources told Outlook that one of the real reasons behind the minister’s interest is because several channels that "enjoy political patronage" or which are seen as the mouthpiece of certain political parties do not figure in the TRP listings. Says TAM CEO L.V. Krishnan: "We are most surprised by the minister’s comments. It looks now as if it’s TAM vs the I&B ministry. The government must have its reasons."

The minister though denied that he is under pressure from channels patronised by politicians. "In fact, the good work done by some credible channels and journalists is undermined by the crop of new channels that have no credibility but have TRPs," he claims.

Madison Advertising’s Sam Balsara has another take on that: "The trouble with TRPs is that nobody will be absolutely happy with the findings. Of particular concern to the government of the day is the national broadcaster DD which has dipped out of the viewers’ radar, ousted by the satellite invasion." In fact, leading the pack of channels with poor TRP ratings are the Doordarshan ones, now relegated to the backmarkers on TV remotes in cable and satellite homes. Another channel is Kalaignar TV, the mouthpiece of the DMK, a key ally of the UPA. Since its launch last year, it has not been able to notch up the ratings to rival Sun TV (earlier the preferred medium till the channel owners, the Marans, fell out with the Karunanidhi clan). There are a few other channels too doing poorly on the TRP radar but well enough on the political patronage front (see box). Sources says it’s a campaign mounted by some of these channels that prompted Das Munshi to run down TAM.

Following an I&B ministry note, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) is now examining the entire business of audience measurement. Some of the issues being examined are the limitations of sample size and reliability of the ratings. The TRAI note even says that the "impact of the visual media on the social fabric" is such that "false and misleading ratings can hurt not only the broadcasters and advertisers but also the viewing public as well." There’s also the issue of the lack of competition which has made the business a monopoly of two players. In addition, TRAI will look into whether TV channels are represented on the boards of agencies like TAM since there are allegations that viewership figures are fudged to suit vested interests.

The other rating agency, Audience Measurement And Analytics Ltd (aMap), started operations in 2004, but it’s TAM which virtually monopolises the business. While its techniques have been questioned from time to time, it has always managed to brush off criticism. This time too, TAM officials feel the agency has been unfairly singled out for scrutiny. Krishnan asks: "Why only TRP ratings? Why not polls driven by SMS or the ABC (Audit Bureau Circulation) for newspapers? There is plenty of research that is happening. Why not regulate everything?" The I&B minister has a counter to that: with a 100-crore viewing population, how can 6,000 meters be the judge, he asks. The minister says he’s baffled by the fact that Uttar Pradesh, the biggest state in India, and Bihar are excluded from the TRP list.

Partly under pressure and bowing to industry demands, TAM has been bringing about changes in the way it gauges viewership. For one, the sample size—for long criticised as being too small to represent a market as large as India—is being upped from 7,200 to 8,000 meters or households by the end of the year. Then TAM is introducing independent measurement of CAS and DTH homes (together they constitute 5 per cent of television households). The agency will also go into semi-urban and rural areas. Finally, there will be special surveys for the Delhi and Mumbai market.

Obviously, the larger the sample size the more credible the survey. Points out Balsara: "Ideally, we would like every household to be covered but that’s not a feasible situation. But any such research must be conducted and overseen by the industry. The Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) has been set up by the industry to study and suggest ways to improve viewership studies in the country but such initiatives must be driven by the industry. We are of the view that the government should have no role to play in this and Doordarshan as a broadcaster should actively participate in the exercise."

The heat on the agencies monitoring viewership is understandable. From 45 million homes with televisions in the late ’90s, there are now 112 million households. The number of TV channels is expected to touch 465 within the next four years. According to the last available figures, television advertising constitutes 41 per cent of the total ad spend in the country which, incidentally, was Rs 16,500 crore last year.

Clearly, there’s a need to look at the manner in which TRP ratings are arrived at. Both advertisers, rating agencies and TV channels are agreed that any changes is best left to the industry. The government, they feel, should keep off. But with the ‘hearts and souls’ of a billion people at stake, that’s hardly likely to happen.