Mumbai: The Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) India is contemplating the option of postponing the date of resuming TRP ratings. The TV measurement body had announced in February that ratings for news channels would resume on 17 March.

As per a PTI report, several news channels have reached out to Barc asking for the release of TRP rating data from different periods.

Some have asked that only data from mid-March be released, while others have suggested data of the previous three months be released. Different bodies of TV news channels have also expressed their views. So, the ministry is looking into the option on whether to extend the date for TRP rating resumption, according to the report.

Barc suspended ratings for individual channels in the news genre in October 2020 following a TRP rigging scam allegedly involving some private channels.

The I&B ministry directed Barc to maintain the status quo in February 2021 in view of alleged reports of manipulation of ratings data and review the whole ecosystem of publishing of ratings. It instituted a committee under chairmanship of Prasar Bharati CEO Shashi Shekhar Vempati to make recommendations on strengthening the TV ratings ecosystem in India.

The ministry had asked Barc to resume the release of news ratings on 12 January after review of steps taken by the TV measurement agency on corporate governance, streamlining of processes and their transparency.