Soni favours better quality TV viewing

I&B Minister Ambika Soni is in favour of setting up the Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) to measure TRPs for better quality feedback on TV viewing.

I&B Minister Ambika Soni is in favour of setting up the Broadcasting Audience Research Council (BARC) to measure TRPs for better quality feedback on TV viewing.

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In an interview to Vir Sanghvi’s show Off the Record on CNBC TV18 Soni said she was concerned that TRPs don’t reflect the diversity within Indian audiences adequately.

The minister recounted an instance where “they had about 7,000 boxes to measure audience size, which is just not enough as no rural area was covered”.

Though the number is now 10,000, she feels it still can’t tell you “what the choice of the people is”.

Soni pointed out that Telecom Regulatory Authority of India had recommended setting up of the BARC, that “would comprise of the industry (advertisers, broadcasters) and would not have any cross holding”.

She told Sanghvi that she was in favour of going beyond the current situation of Television Audience Measurement ratings provided through a joint venture company.

Catch the interview at 9 pm on Sunday.