The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), which manages the TV audience measurement system in India, to "withhold reporting the Television Rating Points (TRPs) for News TV channels” for four weeks until further directions.

Its decision comes amidst observations that “certain News TV Channels” are “displaying unwarranted sensationalism and speculative content” with regards to the ongoing conflict between Iran and the US-Israel alliance. The ministry expressed concern that this may cause distress to the public, specifically those whose friends and family members are currently residing in the affected areas.

The ministry’s decision to withhold TRPs for these channels may directly affect their ability to raise revenue from advertisers. Advertisers rely on TRP data to determine viewership; without these ratings, they lack an objective metric to guide their spending or compare the return on investment across different channels.

As Newslaundry highlighted earlier this week, TV news coverage of the violent conflict in West Asia has devolved into a spectacle of misinformation. Their coverage has been characterised by the use of recycled and mislabeled footage, the persistent blare of dramatic sirens, and the peddling of fake news. Beyond these lapses, the coverage has also leaned into predictable communal dog-whistling and, in some bizarre instances, the inclusion of astrologers to provide “analysis”.

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