TRAI consultation paper on Television Ratings

On a reference from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, the TRAI has issued a consultation paper on “Policy guidelines for Television Audience Measurement (TAM) and Television Rating Points (TRPs)”.

Excerpts from the paper:

Television Audience Measurement (TAM)/ Television Rating Points (TRPs) have been in existence in India since 1993. Largely of interest to advertisers, broadcasters and media agencies who invest substantial amounts based on the ratings services; they have come up for greater public scrutiny only now; although concerns about their reliability had been expressed earlier as well. The advertisers’ decisions, programme scheduling and even programs available to the public are all affected by the ratings based on a small sample. Viewer’s likes and dislikes and interests largely remain unaddressed. Given the implications on scope, schedule and even content of programmes, the larger perspective of audience cannot be ignored. The impact of the visual media and its ever increasing reach and significant amounts riding on it, has necessitated a re-look at the issues like reliability, comprehensiveness and accountability of ratings.

Reliability of audience measurement reports both from the perspective of viewers and competitive relations between broadcasters have been of concern to the Regulators in most countries. Internationally, countries have largely come up with self-governing, not-for-profit institutions drawing membership from both advertisers and broadcasters that are responsible for, inter- alia, administering a reliable system of accreditation for broadcast audience measurement services. Ratings agencies are not allowed to be members of such bodies. Should this model be followed in our country as well; should there be an oversight body or should the TRP ratings and rating agencies be governed by some Standards prescribed and monitored by the regulating bodies?

The following issues have been raised for consultation:

5.1 Looking at the impact of Television Rating Points (TRP) on broadcasters, advertising agencies and advertisers, the first and foremost issue that arises for consultation is whether there is at all a need for the Government to regulate the system of Television Rating Points (TRP), or whether this should be left to be decided by industry initiative for the growth of the rating services? Please give reasons in support of your reply.
5.2 If it is felt that Governmental regulation is necessary, what should be the manner and extent of such regulation i.e. whether the rating agencies and or Oversight Bodies be subjected to light supervision or should they be brought under compulsory reporting obligations? Should it be a simple registration or any other mechanism? Please give suggestions on following issues, among others:
5.2.1 The eligibility criterion for registration in terms of technical capability/experience,
5.2.2 The minimum sample size (in terms of numbers) adequately representing various genre, regions, platforms, stratum etc. ensuring robust television viewing estimate;
5.2.3 Type of equipment to be used to address the different delivery platforms.
5.2.4 Whether technology adopted should be real time system for generation of reports;
5.2.5 Minimum coverage required a) over different platforms, b) rural and urban, c) All states including North-East and J&K, d) Prasar Bharati channels;
5.2.6 What are your views on restrictions on crossholding / interests between the Ratings Agencies and their clients?
5.2.7 What safeguards should be provided to ensure secrecy of sampled families? Please give your suggestions.
5.2.8 Whether some standards/norms be prescribed for the rating agencies that should be followed for their operations? If so, what should be those standards/norms?
5.2.9 What are your views on mandatory audits to be performed by independent auditors for validation of ratings provided by rating agencies? What should be their qualifications? What should be the scope of such audit, and who should the auditors report to?
5.3 If it is felt that this should be left to be decided by industry initiative, what should be the framework for such arrangement and the role of the Government with reference to the issues narrated from 5.2.1 to 5.2.9.
5.4 What are your suggestions to encourage competition in rating services?
5.5 Do you have any other suggestions for making ratings more representative, transparent and reliable?

Comments are due before 21 April 2008.

DoT Vs. Blackberry - Round 2 - FIGHT!

The DoT on Friday has reportedly given two weeks to Research in Mobile (RIM) - the company that has developed Blackberry - to install servers and requisite equipment in India in order to tap e-mails sent through the service.

This was the message conveyed to the RIM representative in the country at a high level meeting in the department of telecommunications (DoT), which was chaired by the deputy director general (access services).

Officials from the ministry of home and representatives of Airtel, Vodafone, Reliance and Blackberry were also present in the meeting. The deadline for setting up this facility will be decided in a meeting scheduled next week, when high level officials of RIM from Canada will be present.

And also

RIM is currently operating services in 13 countries around the world. The present problem with Blackberry came to limelight when Tata Teleservices was not granted permission to operate the services. The government said that it was not possible to lawfully intercept e-mails sent through Blackberry phones. It is not yet clear how other operators like Reliance, Airtel and Vodafone are operating the services.

It is not clear. Not clear at all. The DoT website does not list any of these three as having obtained a UMS license. Does the ISP license imply a UMS license? Clearly not - since a UMS license requires a licensee to obtain, in addition, an ISP license.

So what happens next?More meetings.

Another meeting with RIM officials has been scheduled next week to discuss the issue further. In today’s meeting only a local sales representative of the company was present. “These are high level technical issues and hence the DoT officials today asked RIM representative to bring senior technical officials from Canada preferably by 2nd or 3rd of April for the next meeting,” said the industry representative.

“Malabar Monsooned” coffee from Kerala to get GI status soon

Just parking this news item from the Hindu

KOCHI: Malabar Monsooned coffee, a speciality item from the northern Kerala coast, which had conquered the palates of the western world is all set to achieve another landmark when the Geographical Indicator (GI) status would be conferred on it soon.

The Coffee Board officials have already conducted a couple of sittings and it is a matter of time before GI status is given to ‘Malabar Monsooned’ coffee, sources in Aspinwall & Co, which has a market share of nearly 50 per cent of this export commodity, told The Hindu here on Thursday.

This speciality coffee has an interesting genesis, and is cured by the unique monsoon rains of the Malabar coast. What makes it stand apart from its peers is definitive characteristics such as ‘good body, mild acidity, pleasant aroma and flavour.’

A much-sought after item in the Scandinavian countries, with a smattering of followers in Germany, the coffee has many ‘pretenders’ who copycat its qualities mainly in Italy and in the Indonesian coffee production centres.

Reading the tea leaves,

Producers in northern Kerala and the south Karnataka region mainly hope that the attainment of GI status would usher in a premium to the product that could help in withstanding the volatile fluctuations in the international coffee markets.

Malabar Monsooned has an interesting history.

During the olden days, when coffee from the Malabar coast were transported in sailing ships, the damp environment in the wooden holds of the ships significantly altered the physiological nature of the beans.

The coffee beans lost is colour and quality within the six-month period of journey in the sailing ships.

However the consumers in the West, developed a taste for the coffee that was mellow and less acidic. They started complaining about the taste when the coffee was later shipped in the good holds of the steam ships. .

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