WhatsApp chats prove Arnab Goswami-ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta collusion to rig ratings, says NBA
The association said that the collusion between Goswami and Dasgupta (R) had led to Republic TV’s viewership n...Read More
NEW DELHI: Expressing its “shock” over the “hundreds of WhatsApp messages that clearly establish collusion and power play” between Republic TV’s Arnab Goswami and ex-BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta in “manipulating viewership ratings to give Republic TV an unfair advantage” and cause “huge financial losses” to other news channels, the National Broadcasters Association on Monday demanded that BARC “expunge the data of the erring broadcaster and restate the real position of rankings of all news channels from the beginning”.
“The messages exchanged go on to refer to the appointment of secretaries, Cabinet reshuffle, access to the PMO, and the workings of the ministry of information and broadcasting. This only confirms the many and continuous allegations made by NBA in the last four years that ratings were being manipulated by a non-NBA member broadcaster in connivance with BARC’s top management officials,” the association said.
NBA also demanded that Republic TV’s membership of the Indian Broadcasters’ Association “be suspended with immediate effect” while the ratings manipulation case is pending in court.
“The NBA board is also of the view that the manipulation of ratings by Republic TV has immensely damaged the reputation of the broadcast industry and therefore it should be kept out of BARC rating system till final court order,” it said.
The association said that the collusion between Goswami and Dasgupta had led to Republic TV’s viewership numbers being boosted while “fraudulently manually reducing ratings of other channels”.
“NBA’s board also wants to place on record that the corrupt data released month after month has not only led to reputation loss but has also caused huge financial losses to news broadcasters for which BARC is duty-bound to give an explanation,” the association said.
“NBA has already conveyed to BARC that the ratings are unreliable as far as we can see and should continue to be suspended in light of the recent revelations which shows the arbitrary nature of functioning at BARC. It shows that there are no checks and balances, and the ability of a few within BARC to easily change the ratings as they deem fit, making the system subjective to the whims and fancy of the management versus being an objective transparent system. The Oversight Committee with no representation of broadcasters and just consultants paid by BARC is an eyewash to show autonomy. NBA strongly demands that action should be taken by BARC against these dubious actors. Legal and police action should also be taken against those who are responsible for ruining the credibility of BARC and threatening to damage the credibility of the news broadcast business,” the association added.
“It is indeed with dismay that NBA notes the fact that in spite of having a damning verdict in its possession since July 2020, BARC sat on the forensic report for several months, which brought to light these manipulations. This is a glaring example of the systemic lack of transparency that has prevailed right since the inception of BARC. Not only did BARC not share the data with NBA on grounds of confidentiality, but no action was also taken against the erring broadcaster, no penalty and no Discom proceedings were initiated. In fact, even after the new management took charge, widescale manipulation has continued,” the association said.
NBA demanded that BARC make “a clear statement about the veracity of its ratings” in the period under audit and conduct an audit of the Hindi news genre. It should also “explain the concrete steps that have been taken in the last three months to secure the ratings,” it said, adding that “ratings of news channels remain suspended till such time all details of such actions taken by BARC are shared with stakeholders”.
BARC must “explain what penal actions are provided for in the BARC constitution against broadcasters who have indulged in manipulation of ratings of this magnitude and what action will be taken in the current case”, NBA said.
“The messages exchanged go on to refer to the appointment of secretaries, Cabinet reshuffle, access to the PMO, and the workings of the ministry of information and broadcasting. This only confirms the many and continuous allegations made by NBA in the last four years that ratings were being manipulated by a non-NBA member broadcaster in connivance with BARC’s top management officials,” the association said.
NBA also demanded that Republic TV’s membership of the Indian Broadcasters’ Association “be suspended with immediate effect” while the ratings manipulation case is pending in court.
“The NBA board is also of the view that the manipulation of ratings by Republic TV has immensely damaged the reputation of the broadcast industry and therefore it should be kept out of BARC rating system till final court order,” it said.
The association said that the collusion between Goswami and Dasgupta had led to Republic TV’s viewership numbers being boosted while “fraudulently manually reducing ratings of other channels”.
“NBA’s board also wants to place on record that the corrupt data released month after month has not only led to reputation loss but has also caused huge financial losses to news broadcasters for which BARC is duty-bound to give an explanation,” the association said.
41:25Arnab Goswami, Partho Dasgupta nexus exposed in whatsapp chat:Full details
“NBA has already conveyed to BARC that the ratings are unreliable as far as we can see and should continue to be suspended in light of the recent revelations which shows the arbitrary nature of functioning at BARC. It shows that there are no checks and balances, and the ability of a few within BARC to easily change the ratings as they deem fit, making the system subjective to the whims and fancy of the management versus being an objective transparent system. The Oversight Committee with no representation of broadcasters and just consultants paid by BARC is an eyewash to show autonomy. NBA strongly demands that action should be taken by BARC against these dubious actors. Legal and police action should also be taken against those who are responsible for ruining the credibility of BARC and threatening to damage the credibility of the news broadcast business,” the association added.
“It is indeed with dismay that NBA notes the fact that in spite of having a damning verdict in its possession since July 2020, BARC sat on the forensic report for several months, which brought to light these manipulations. This is a glaring example of the systemic lack of transparency that has prevailed right since the inception of BARC. Not only did BARC not share the data with NBA on grounds of confidentiality, but no action was also taken against the erring broadcaster, no penalty and no Discom proceedings were initiated. In fact, even after the new management took charge, widescale manipulation has continued,” the association said.
NBA demanded that BARC make “a clear statement about the veracity of its ratings” in the period under audit and conduct an audit of the Hindi news genre. It should also “explain the concrete steps that have been taken in the last three months to secure the ratings,” it said, adding that “ratings of news channels remain suspended till such time all details of such actions taken by BARC are shared with stakeholders”.
BARC must “explain what penal actions are provided for in the BARC constitution against broadcasters who have indulged in manipulation of ratings of this magnitude and what action will be taken in the current case”, NBA said.
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