TRP calculation should be democratic, says Smriti Irani

New Delhi: Calling for an accurate measurement system for the broadcasting sector, the union minister for information & broadcasting, Smriti Zubin Irani on Thursday stated that the model structure of the field should focus on democratised viewership. She said that the measurement system should reflect the strength of regional languages and the varied tastes of viewers and consumers.

Ms Irani was sharing her views while delivering the Sardar Patel Memorial Lecture 2017 on  “Model for Broadcast landscape for Democracies.” The minister said the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Mann ki Baat programme was an ideal example of how a technology platform blended the PM’s message with citizen understanding and awareness of the issues highlighted by him in each episode.

The I&B minister stated that news today had become a “spectator sport” as technology had blurred the lines between content and broadcast. While a certain section of the media space adhered to codes, ethics and conduct rules, the other segment was purely driven by a rush for TRPs, eyeballs, thereby being influenced by the “headlines competing with hashtag.”