Republic TV is among the three channels investigated for allegedly gaming ratings.
New Delhi:
Republic TV and two other television channels have been accused of modifying audience ratings to obtain high advertising rates, a procedure that amounts to fraud, Mumbai police announced on Thursday, amid a dispute over coverage of the Sushant Singh Rajput case and strong criticism. of the Mumbai police through a section of channels. Households being monitored for ratings are being bribed to run the channels in question, police said, adding that the owners of two TV channels have been arrested. Republic TV said they were being targeted for their coverage of the Sushant Rajput case, where they questioned the role of the police. The channel also said they will sue the police for defamation.
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A case of criminal conspiracy, cheating and criminal breach of trust has been filed. The owners of two television channels, Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema, have been arrested and the directors and promoters of Republic TV are being investigated for audience fraud, Mumbai police said.
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Officials from Republic TV, which claims the highest TRP, or television rating points, among news channels, will be summoned in a day or two, police said. More channels will be examined and the investigation will cover all aspects, including channel revenue, bank details, and ad revenue.
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Republic TV said the Mumbai police chief has made false accusations “because we have questioned him in the Sushant Singh Rajput case.” The channel’s director, Arnab Goswami, called this a desperate measure, saying: “He (the Mumbai police chief) should either issue a public apology or prepare to face us in court.”
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The ratings scam emerged during a broader analysis of the manipulation of news trends and how a “false narrative” was being spread, especially regarding the investigation into the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, said the police chief of Mumbai, Param Bir Singh. The information had been shared with the central government, he added.
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The Mumbai Police FIR also names India Today, but Commissioner Param Bir Singh told NDTV: “At the FIR, India Today was named by one of the witnesses. But as the investigation progressed, neither BARC, no witnesses, no defendants named India Today. All called Republic TV, Marathi channels. So far there is no evidence against India Today. We are proceeding against Republic TV, Marathi channels. ”
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The fraud, police said, involved bribes to households that were monitored by agencies that generate and publicize the ratings. In Mumbai, 20,000 households are monitored. In many households, people received between Rs 400-500 a month to keep certain channels on, even if they did not watch them.
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The manipulation became apparent when it emerged that poor households who did not speak English were watching news channels in English. The investigation started a complaint by Hansa, the agency that set the rating meters.
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Investigations revealed that former Hansa employees shared confidential data with all three investigated channels. The Hansa data is used by BARC (Broadcast Audience Research Council), which publishes weekly rating points for channels across the country.
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Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami said “there is not a single BARC report that mentions Republic TV.” “The people of India know the truth. BARC has not mentioned the republic in any complaint,” he added.
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Ratings manipulation has been a long-standing indictment in the television industry. Central ministers have commented on it and recently even the Supreme Court mentioned it in the case linked to Sudarshan TV’s “UPSC Jihad” program. “The problem with electronic media has to do with the PRTs, which generates more and more sensationalism that damages the reputation of the people,” a judge had said.
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