TAM For Some Truth About TRPs

On May 16, just as the dust on election results was beginning to settle, news channels began claiming the number one position for their election coverage. Quoting Television Audience Measurement (TAM) ratings, ABP News asserted that it was number one on May 16. Aaj Tak claimed to be number one not only on the day of counting but also during election week. Among English channels, it was Times Now which claimed the top position on counting day, while CNN-IBN said it was number one during election week.

TAM Media Research, a joint venture between AC Nielsen Research Services and Kantar Market Research, provides viewership data to all channels – which is further extrapolated to conclude final results. With approximately 10,000 servers all around the country, it has a total reach of around 40,000 to 50,000 people in different parts of the country (based on the assumption that each family on an average has 4 to 5 people). The selected families that constitute the sample size are provided with specific remotes with unique buttons for each family member. Every family member of the house, in which a server is placed, is provided with a different button on the remote that helps in segmentation of the data as per gender and age. TAM, on a yearly basis, conducts surveys to verify the authenticity of the data. However, the locations of the selected servers are not disclosed in the public domain because of confidential reasons.

TAM has divided markets geographically to maintain heterogeneity among the people being analysed. Also, the data is analysed differently according to the language preferences of regions. There also exist certain Hindi Speaking Markets (HSM). The final numbers are divulged in something known as Gross Viewership in Thousands (GVT). The viewership of a particular person is considered only if he watches a show for one minute at a stretch. The calculation of GVT is done as per the formulas and statistical methods adopted by TAM which is further used by the client, including the news channels.

As far as English news channels are concerned, the figures declared by TAM clearly suggest that Times Now was ahead of its rival news channels on counting day, while CNN-IBN was number one during election week. But the story gets complicated when it comes to Hindi news channels.

Both ABP and Aaj Tak claim to be number one on the day of counting. According to a report  filed by indiantelevision.com, TAM data reveals that Aaj Tak was number one all over the country while ABP News was number one only in Hindi-speaking markets (HSM). While ABP does flash  the raw data, no disclaimer for the viewers is attached to it. Despite repeated efforts, Shazi Zaman, Group Editor of Media Content and Communication Services Pvt. Ltd. (MCCS), parent company ABP News, didn’t respond to our queries.

TAM RATINGS FOR HINDI NEWS CHANNELS ON MAY 16, 2014

*HSM Metros – Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Ahmadabad, Pune

Going further, ABP in its analysis compares its performance with English news channels. The channel claims that it gained 19 times more viewership than English TV news channel, Times Now.

When we contacted TAM, an official on condition of anonymity said, “Undoubtedly, the markets for English and Hindi news channels are completely different but TAM only provides data to the client. It’s their prerogative, how they want to use and analyse it”.

When it comes to TRP wars, the data in itself becomes very vague because of the abysmally small sample size used for analysis. While CNN-IBN provided the data, albeit for a fleeting second, ABP News didn’t even bother to provide these details. If it is all about being “the best”, then data reveals that India TV was number one in Hindi-speaking metros, which can be another parameter to judge the top slot.

While TAM’s data had been under constant scrutiny and criticism from various quarters, NDTV  has gone to the extent of filing a case against them, accusing them of manipulating data. Such developments leave little room for any viewer to trust claims made by any channel. Undoubtedly, election fever saw an upsurge in people watching news channels, but the claim for top slot seems to have forced channels to compromise their primary duty – which is, to convey fair and transparent information to their audiences.