In collective plea, broadcaster’s body, NBF (News Broadcasters Federation) have written to minister of Information and Broadcasting, Anurag Thakur, voicing apprehensions about the temporary halt of weekly news ratings. In the letter, the body directed their concerns to the authorities, urging them to ensure the uninterrupted publication of ratings by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC).
“It has come to our collective attention that there is a group of broadcasters with proven monopolistic interests, who are making attempts to impede the ongoing transparent process of publishing weekly ratings for the news genre,” an excerpt from the letter read.
Emphasizing the critical role of news ratings news organizations, the letter highlighted their key concerns. Some of them were, how a halt in BARC ratings for the news genre would affect operations and livelihoods, making news channels less competitive within the industry, ratings directly impact news businesses’ revenue, and disruptions could lead to a skewed, uncompetitive market that does not favor honest news organizations and disruptions and could unfairly target news organizations, creating an unequal playing field and disadvantaging news broadcasters.
The letter also pointed out that the news industry, on the brink of a General Election year and resource planning and investments could be jeopardized by rating disruptions.
Seeking intervention of the ministry the letter said, “Continuity of ratings remains in the best interest of the news industry, the public, and for the continuance of a free and fair market. Any disruption of ratings singularly for the news genre has a detrimental impact on the economy of news channels, and thereby a free press which is the bedrock of our democracy.”