The TRAI will initiate appropriate action under various sections of the TRAI Act if the BARC does not follow the directive, as the decision violates the regulatory body’s direction dated 12 December 2018 and 14 January 2019 (Representative image) (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
The TRAI will initiate appropriate action under various sections of the TRAI Act if the BARC does not follow the directive, as the decision violates the regulatory body’s direction dated 12 December 2018 and 14 January 2019 (Representative image) (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images) 
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‘Publish Viewership Data Website Or Face Action’: TRAI Warns BARC India

BySwarajya Staff

The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has warned the Broadcasters Audience Research Council (BARC) to release the viewership data of the past weeks on their website or face action, the Television Post reports.

Earlier, it was reported that BARC India would not share the TV viewership data with the public due to the implementation of the new TRAI regulatory Framework by TRAI. Despite asking them not to stop publishing the viewership data, the BARC modified the Fair and Permissible Usage Policy and stopped posting the data.

A PTI report reveals that the regulatory body directed the BARC India to publish the data by 25 February. The TRAI will initiate appropriate action under various sections of the TRAI Act if the BARC does not follow the directive, as the decision violates the regulatory body’s direction dated 12 December 2018 and 14 January 2019.

“Now the authority hereby directs Broadcast Audience Research Council to immediately release and publish viewership data for the week ending February 8, 2019, and weeks subsequent to it, on its website without any further delay and not to stop it in future also without explicit instruction/direction from the authority or Ministry of Information and Broadcasting,” the TRAI directive said.

TRAI said that BARC had submitted that the shift to the new system caused the disruption would prevent consumers from accessing the channels of their wish, and not give a fair and accurate picture of TV consumption in the country.

The TRAI notes that since BARC has failed to provide any convincing reason for not publishing the viewership and rating data, such action on BARC India's behalf reflects inadequately on the creditworthiness of the data released by them.