After two days of stormy sessions, Indian Broadcasting Foundation (IBF) was in consensus with Advertising Agencies Association of India (AAAI), Indian Society of Advertisers (ISA) and TAM for suspending the television viewership ratings data across all genres for the next two months.

This was done keeping in view the first phase (by November 1) of cable digitisation in New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. In the second phase (by April 2013), 38 other cities will go digital.

Now, the television viewership ratings data will be released on December 19.

During the period of suspension, a panel of experts from Nielsen and Kantar and IBF, AAAI and ISA representatives will validate the TAM data to ensure quality, consistency as well integrity of processes of data prior to the release.

In a joint statement, the three stakeholders said that the broadcasters felt that during the transition process from analogue signals to digital environment there could have been discrepancies in TAM’s reporting of data which could have had serious implications. The implications would not only be in terms of finance but also in terms of credibility.

The statement added that deferring release of the data will ensure that all stakeholders and TAM provide extended time for the on-ground situation to stabilise into a digital phase. “This will also help users take long-term view of data for decision-making,” it added.

IBF has also said that it does not intend to have a similar blackout for the subsequent digitisation phases as long as the data integrity and quality consistency is maintained.

> Meenakshi.v@thehindu.co.in

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