Posted:
I have no comment to make.
This is copy & paste only.
http://www.firstpost.com/india/big-deal-ndtv-sues-nielsen-for-fixing-ratings-398292.html
Big Deal: NDTV sues Nielsen for fixing TV ratings
by http://www.firstpost.com/author/anant-rangaswami
Anant Rangaswami
Jul 31, 2012
There have been, over the years, a number of instances when
broadcasters have been unhappy with the TAM ratings. TAM ratings, to the
uninitiated, are the ratings which measure television audiences in
India. There have been rumours of broadcasters being able to 'fix' the
ratings, with the help of corrupt TAM executives.
NDTV has filed a suit against The Nielsen Company and other
defendants in the US, under New York State laws. According to the suit,
the channel had been discussing their unhappiness with various aspects
of the viewership data, continuously from 2004 to 2012. Obviously, they
do not have any faith that the situation will change, leading to the
filing of the suit.
When asked for a response on the developments, the following
statement was issued, quoting a TAM spokesperson: "TAM India, a 50:50
joint venture between Kantar Media and Nielsen, doesn't comment on any
litigation."
NDTV is not just angry – they are very, very angry. NDTV has asked for $580 million for negligence and a minimum of $810 million for fraud.
"This is a case, brought under New York State laws, of negligence,
gross negligence, false representations, prima facie tort and negligence
per se… This is also a case of a once noble company, Nielsen…exhibiting
unabashed short term greed and reckless disregard of its duties and of
its noble origin. It is a case of the two largest audience measurement
conglomerates in the world, Nielsen and Kantar, formerly competitors,
operating worldwide through a deliberately complex web of subsidiaries
and joint ventures, creating, at least in India, a monopoly and abusing
the power of that monopoly," says the suit.
The entire suit can be read at http://www-deadline-com.vimg.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Nielsen_lawsuit__120730222321.pdf deadline.com, but, for the benefit of Firstpost readers, we reproduce two of the most damaging paragraphs, if proven to be true.
"On April 3, 2012, a meeting was held between the representatives of NDTV,
namely, Rahul Sood, Sidharth Barhate and Anand Mohan Jha, and two field
staff employees of TAM (one provided his first name, while the other
did not disclose his name) at Ramada Plaza Hotel, Juhu, Mumbai. The TAM
employees revealed that they were employed in Mumbai to look after, and
collect data from, TAM meters.
They stated they were willing to manipulate TAM ratings in Mumbai.
They showed their identity cards and represented themselves as TAM
employees. They also showed TAM manuals to the representatives of NDTV
and explained how the meters operate, and the number of meters /areas
that they looked after. They were also aware of NDTV's ratings. They had
been in touch with NDTV representative as mentioned above, therefore,
during the meeting they insisted upon NDTV's permission to activate the
system at the earliest [b]so that NDTV could see prompt
results of high TRPs as promised by these persons. They claimed to have
effected manipulations in the past for other channels and were willing
provide the same "services" for "any" channel that was ready to pay the
demanded consideration (bribe). They were confident that [b]they could triple channel ratings of NDTV in Mumbai over a period of two to three weeks in the required target group.
They stated they had direct access to homes and visited those homes
periodically (at least 3 to 4 times a week) and were in a position to
easily influence what the households watched/viewed. They said by paying
a bribe of $250 to $500 per household per month, the TAM households
could be made to watch only those channels which they insisted upon…"
"On April 11 and 12, 2012 a video was shown to Bob (Robert Messemer,
Chief Security Officer, The Nielsen Company, Schaumburg, IL) by NDTV officials which categorically conveyed to and persuaded Bob that NDTV's repeated claims since 2004 were true and that the TAM system was corrupt and required immediate attention. [b]He admitted to having a wholly new appreciation for NDTV's concerns, and was convinced that he had not witnessed corruption of this level previously anywhere.
He admitted to being amazed by the degree of networking and feedback
loops such consultants appeared to have within the TAM system. He also acknowledged the need for changes in TAM system and personnel from the very top. Bob subsequently asked for a copy of the video. In lieu of the video recording, NDTV sent a redacted transcript to Bob…"
The 194 page plea captures all the communication (oral, on e-mail, etc) between representatives of NDTV, TAM India and other companies associated with TAM India and The Nielsen Company. NDTV obviously feels confident that they more than have a case.
This is going to be a long, hard battle – one that TAM is not going to enjoy. NDTV is only the first of many aggrieved broadcasters to have filed a suit against TAM – but NDTV is, by no means, the only one unhappy with TAM data.
Disclaimer: Firstpost is owned by Network18 that owns CNN-IBN, CNBC-TV18, IBN7, CNBC-Awaaz and other entertainment channels.
Latest Article of 9th March, 2013:
http://www.simplydecoded.com/2013/03/09/trp-reforms-overview/
Author: Shankar Dev
One would not easily forget the Atrocity of Rakhi Sawant in "Rakhi ka
Swayamwar" or plight(!!) of Shilpa Shetty in Big Boss. When Justice
Verma committee was delivering its report on Crime against women, the
news channels was having a hot debate on Sunny Leone's definition of
_________. So If you buy a Rs.10 stamp, then paste it in a A4 sheet and then
file a RTI to **** channel, asking "why Sunnys are important than Vermas
??" probably they'd answer you in just three letters –TRP. Yes TRP is
The Boss who controls each and every content of these channels.
Everything, from Anna Hazare to Sunny Leone, are the end products of TRP
mania. So naturally you would ask why these channels are striving for
TRP's mercy?? What is TRP?? And who is determining it??
TRP
WHAT IS TRP:
Television/Target Rating Point (TRP).
It is a tool provided to judge viewership of any particular
Programme or channel.
This gives us an index of the choice of the people and also the
popularity of a particular channel.
HOW IT IS CALCULATED:
A device (box) is called as People's Meter (costly equipment, which
is imported from abroad) is attached to the TV set in a few thousand
viewers' houses for calculation purpose.
This box has buttons, and a number on the meter (like
husband-1,wife-2,child-1,child-2) assigned to each person living in the
household who is required to push as and when he/she starts viewing and
push off the button when not viewing.
Each meter is capable of monitoring every second i.e24x7 and what is
viewed by whom. The meter stores all these data.
Then it is periodically transmitted through the family's telephone
line or through some gateways to the central server.
This server is installed with specific algorithm to process the
average taken for a 30-day period, of the data sent by Sample "people's
meters" and manipulate the TRP for particular program/channel.
It is calculated using two methods — i) frequency monitoring ii)
picture matching technique. Second technique is more reliable and
relatively new to India
WHO IS CALCULATING TRP:
AC Nielson, AGB GROUP, Gallup are the world leaders for TRP.
In India, AC Nielson – The Indian Television Audience Measurement
(INTAM) duo calculates the TRP.
CONTROVERSY:
Virtually TRP has become the controller of the contents on TV. But all
this power is vested with single company- Nielson, the monopoly is
enjoyed by a single private firm. The present system of generation of
TRPs and its adverse can have negative impact on the content of
television programmes due to competition for higher TRPs. Doordarshan
claimed it was the biggest loser in the current TRP race as its
viewership was not correctly reflected. It had even approached the
Competition Commission of India against the private body which currently
brings out the TRP.
Realizing the disparities prevailing in the field ,TRAI had issued some
recommendations for organizational reforms. Some of them are
Continuous improvement in quality and method of the rating system,
to provide accurate, up to date and relevant findings.
To maintain the highest possible standards of integrity and to
ensure that its findings are not misused / manipulated by anyone to
convey a wrong impression.
To promote, maintain and uphold fair, ethical and healthy practices
relating to ratings and its use.
Discourage unfair or deceptive practices employed in connection with
the sale or use of ratings.
Observe and enforce the conditions / standards / norms prescribed by
the Government for the ratings process.
BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council –a self regulated body by
media houses) shall not undertake audience measurement directly and
shall resort toan open, transparent bidding process for the various
stages involved in the rating process; including (a) Establishment
survey (b) panel design and quality control (c) recruiting and metering,
data collection and processing and (d) Audit.
BARC shall provide such information and reports as may be asked for
by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting from time to time.
BARC shall have in place a complaints Redressal mechanism, which
shall be responsible for handling complaints, shortcomings and
deficiencies in the 80 rating system brought to notice by Board of
Directors, consumer organizations, users of ratings and the general
public. BARC may consider the model followed by Advertising Standards
Council of India (ASCI).
Some Important recommendations of the committee are,
A High Powered Committee within BARC, to guide BARC in the area of
research, design and analysis to be formed. The representatives of the
committee would be eminent members from different fields which include a
statistician of national repute, measurement technology expert, a
renowned individual from Civil Society or Judiciary, a demographer, a
sociologist, an economist, a business management expert from one of the
IIMs, nominee of an eminent institution, a leading woman of national
stature and three special invitees from BARC.
The recommendations of the High Powered Committee would be binding
on BARC. The committee further recommends that BARC should consider
suitable provisions in their articles of Association and Memorandum of
Articles in this regard.
The committee suggested that, BARC should have been set up as a
self-regulating TRP body with a sample size of 30,000 people meters
instead of 8,000 currently including the states of Jammu & Kashmir,
North East, rural and urban India at an estimated cost of Rs 640 crore.
By the way the import duty on Peoples meter should also be reduced.
New TRP system:
As debate rages over the authenticity of television ratings point
(TRP), the Centre( MoI&B) said a new rating system would be evolved
by the broadcast industry may start generating TRPs by March 2014.
The TRP system will be designed by the Broadcasting Audience
Research Council (BARC), a body to be set up the association of TV
channels, IBF. (as per recommendation of the TRAI & Mitra
committee).
Since TRPs have a major impact on the programming content of Television
channels, issues of accountability, transparency and objectivity in
Television Rating system assume greater significance as false and
misleading rating can hurt not only broadcasters and the advertisers but
more importantly the viewing public. The system of generation of
Television Rating Points (TRPs) should come under the close scrutiny of
the Government by considering, reports about several lacunae in the
present rating system in India.
(Reference: PIB, TRAI, MoIB)
CID
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