TAM, advertisers to halt TRP ratings till 8 Dec

In a move prompted by the government's mandate that TV cable networks in parts of the country must shift from analog to digital broadcasting by 1 November, broadcasters, advertisers and TAM Media, India's only TV ratings agency, have decided to suspend generation of all data on television rating points (TRP) between 7 October and 8 December.

The decision is based on an agreement between TAM and Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), in consultation with the Advertising Agencies Association of India and Indian Society of Advertisers.

TRP data is used to measure the reach and popularity of television content that in turn determines the flow of Rs10,000-crore advertising money generated on television.

''TAM media, in consensus with Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF), Advertising Agencies Association of India and Indian Society of Advertisers has decided to suspended TRP data across all genres. The data will be released from December 19 as usual,'' a joint statement issued by the four agencies said.

"The broadcasting industry is of the view that during the transition process from analogue signals to digital environment, there could have been discrepancies in TAM's reporting of data, which could have had serious implications, particularly for the broadcasters, not only in terms of finance but also in terms of credibility," it said.

The government has announced digitisation of cable networks from November 1, 2012 in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Subsequently, the second phase, in 38 other cities will begin the transition from 1 April 2013, while the deadline for digitisation in rest of the country is 31 December 2015.

The deferment ''will help in ensuring the users take a longer-term view of data for decision-making. TAM has all its systems in place to ensure accurate data", the statement said.