New Delhi: TV9 Network has decided to quit News Broadcasters & Digital Association (NBDA) over moves by the industry body to further delay the resumption of news ratings in the country.
In an open letter addressed to the NBDA Board, TV9 Network CEO, Barun Das, expressed his dismay over attempts, yet again, by NBDA to raise doubts over BARC data while aiming to further delay the data release for the news genre.
The NBDA issued a press release yesterday demanding that “before releasing the ratings make systems more transparent, robust and reliable without any manual intervention.”
Das, in his letter to NBDA, said, “We, TV9 network, a full member of NBDA , do not subscribe to this view of NBDA Board. This seems to be a view point of a select members of NBDA and certainly not that of entire NBDA.”
The NBDA press release was issued after the Information & Broadcasting (I&B) ministry announced its decision to immediately resume news ratings.
The ministry’s decision came at the back of sustained efforts of several news channels, working with various stakeholders – after suffering revenue and credibility loss for more than 1 year.
Putting his decision to withdraw from NBDA in context, TV9 Network CEO Das said, “As a full member of NBDA, we have tried to reason with NBDA repeatedly but to no avail. I am not sure whether NBDA actually wants the ratings to resume at all. The latest NBDA communication only makes a bad situation for the News Industry worse.”
Arguing in favour of his immediate withdrawal, Das said “I have been trying to reason with NBDA repeatedly but to no avail. On the contrary, NBDA has been expressing views in public, on the most critical issue pertaining to news genre, which I am complete in disagreement with. Therefore, I am left with no option but to withdraw from NBDA with immediate effect.”
Following is the letter written to NBDA by Barun Das,CEO, TV9 Network:
Dear Annie
- Despite the latest I&B ministry directive to immediately restore the news ratings, the latest NBDA press release of last night is a clear attempt, yet again, to stall BARC ratings.
- We, TV9 network, a full member of NBDA, do not subscribe to this view of NBDA Board. This seems to be a view point of a select members of NBDA and certainly not that of entire NBDA.
- The ministry’s decision came at the back of sustained efforts of several news channels, working with various stakeholders – after suffering revenue and credibility loss for more than 1 year.
- Through the press release issued yesterday, NBDA has tried to raise doubts about the robustness of the data. The question to be asked is whether NBDA considers itself outside of the entire TV industry? If the same transparency (the same robustness) is yielding data for all other genres. Why would it (data) be wrong only for the news genre?
- The NBDA’s approach to the entire ratings issue has been curious. It never answered my fundamental query, asked numerous times: WHO stopped BARC ratings and WHY? Your response was first casual and evasive, ultimately unresponsive. Our company secretary vide mail dated December 13, 2021 below remains unanswered till today. We asked the following specific questions to NBDA:
- A) if not NBDA , then WHO was instrumental in singling out News genre by stopping the release of ratings and WHY.
- B) HOW is it so that NBDA has allowed it to go on for over a year and has not intervened effectively enough to resume ratings in the interest of the news broadcasters.
- C) Why does NBDA think that rating system was not “clean, robust and free from manipulation/ tampering” ONLY FOR NEWS GENRE ? D) Why, despite the fact that technical committee approved the suggested improvement in last July, News TV ratings haven’t been released as yet .. what has NBDA’s stand been with respect to immediate resumption of ratings to help the cause of news broadcasters who are hurting badly in terms of loss of advertising revenue due to suspension of any ratings?
- The ONLY good your latest press release does for the Industry is that it unintendedly answers the question you have been avoided all this while. By standing between the MIB’s unequivocal order for and the immediate resumption of BARC ratings, you have made it clear that it is YOU, the NBDA Board that did not and does not want BARC ratings – and We, a full member of NBDA do not subscribe to the board’s view.
- The stalling of ratings has imperiled the news genre viability from a revenue perspective. I see this as an unfair trade practice. The news genre is being put to disadvantage as more and more advertisers threaten to walk out. Here again, genuine interests of the news TV industry are being compromised.
- A general apprehension that NBDA is tooth and nail fighting to keep the news ratings stalled only to serve the business interests of a handful legacy channels seems to be vindicated finally.
- It is ironic that some of NBDA board members claimed its viewership supremacy to advertisers quoting data from some unverified third party while casting aspersions on BARC data. It pains me to point out that when it suited the legacy players, they merrily cited BARC’s data. But when the ratings are not good for them, the BARC data is stalled and some absolutely unverified source gets acceptance.
- I see now a narrative is sought to be woven around the argument that “what is the hurry?” Truth be told, the News genre has already suffered for over a year. To my mind, we are already running a year behind in an industry that runs on a real time basis.
- I am not sure whether NBDA wants the ratings to resume at all. The latest NBDA communication only makes a bad situation for the News Industry worse.
I have been trying to reason with NBDA repeatedly but to no avail. On the contrary, NBDA has been expressing views in public, on the most critical issue pertaining to news genre, which I am complete in disagreement with. Therefore, I am left with no option but to withdraw from NBDA with immediate effect.
Therefore, I am left with no option but to withdraw from NBDA with immediate effect.
Please refund the remainder amount on account of TV9 membership with the body, as per your policy.
Best
Barun Das
