At the heart of recent news, the Mumbai Police has alleged a manipulation scam of Target Rating Points (TRPs) by certain TV channels. These entities are said to have rigged devices used by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) India. This accusation has prompted an exploration into the TRPs system.
Understanding Target Rating Points (TRPs)
TRPs are a metric utilized by marketing and advertising agencies to assess viewership. A viewer is defined as someone who watches television for over a minute. Hence, TRP estimates how many individuals from various socio-economic categories watched specific channels and for how long during a certain period. The duration considered is one minute in line with global standards.
Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC)
Formed in 2010, BARC is co-owned by advertisers, ad agencies, and broadcasting companies, all represented by the Indian Society of Advertisers, Indian Broadcasting Foundation, and Advertising Agencies Association of India. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting announced the Policy Guidelines for Television Rating Agencies in India on January 10, 2014, which led to the registration of BARC in July 2015. With this, they began carrying out television ratings in India.
TRP Calculation Methodology
BARC has equipped over 45,000 households with Bar-O-meters. This technology records viewing details and audio watermarks of content, which are infused into video content before broadcasting. Households are selected through an annual Establishment Survey. Approximately 3 lakh households from the target population participate in this extensive face-to-face survey. The panel chosen should be representative of the country’s demographic and economically viable.
Household Classification
These households are divided into 12 categories under the New Consumer Classification System (NCCS), implemented by BARC in 2015. The classification hinges on the main wage earner’s educational level and ownership of consumer durables from a list of 11 items.
Data Collection
Viewership data is collected when household members press their separate viewer ID button while watching a show. This data provides valuable insights into viewership habits across different age and socio-economic groups.
Preventing TRP Manipulation
BARC India receives reports on the viewing behaviours of panel homes directly and daily. Regular, coincidental checks are performed physically or via phone. Suspicious outliers are also scrutinized directly by BARC India. Every year, these households rotate randomly and their identities remain confidential.
Significance and Limitations of TRPs
TRPs greatly influence the programs created for viewers. High ratings can promote a program, while poor ratings can discourage it. They serve as the primary currency for advertisers to decide on their advertising channels. However, certain issues plague the TRP system. The selection panel can be compromised by bribing viewers or cable operators. Furthermore, if the sample size for a specific category, like English News channels, is small, even manipulating a few homes can significantly skew the TRP.
The way forward
To enhance the accuracy of TRP calculations, government bodies and the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) could consider increasing the sample size and developing a legal framework for TRP regulation. Additionally, chip-based activity logs in all set-top boxes could improve the precision of calculations. Increasing subscription rates controlled by the TRAI could prevent TV channels from being forced to cater to the lowest common denominator.
