TRP Numbers Dictate Editorial Choices
TRP numbers pretty much sums up the editorial choice—based on advertiser—on what any TV news viewer watches. This weekly set of numbers defines the stars and losers and decides (to a large extent) how public opinion is shaped in the long run based on their channel of choice.
The question, therefore, is if viewers aren’t paying for their TV news content, do they have the right of choice? Second, the question of TRP as a barometer of popularity at the cost of accuracy and much needed objectivity—essential first for news coverage— especially in wake of new technologically advanced access to news content needs to be raised.
The telecom regulator TRAI, which double hats as broadcast regulator, came up with a 68-page consultation paper on review of television audience measurement and ratings in India in 2018. Some of the questions raised in the consultation paper were regarding the following:
- BARC’s ( Broadcast Audience research council)…