The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has said industry body Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) should function as a self-regulatory organization for television audience measurement and ratings for broadcasters, according to a Reuters report.

In its recommendations on television ratings, the telecom regulator said BARC can have two nominees from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on its board, and be responsible for audience measurement rating of television programs, the report said.

However, BARC should not do it directly and should resort to an open transparent bidding process for the various stages involved in the rating process, Reuters quoted TRAI as saying.

The ministry could provide the key eligibility norms for selecting rating agencies and their performance obligation norms, the report further said.

The report said TRAI had also recommended that the sample size for undertaking television ratings should cover a larger area than now, and a comprehensive mandatory audit of the rating system should be conducted at least once in three years.

Source:telecomasia.net