TRP determination using 300 devices is 'phantom', says Media Reform Commission

The Media Reform Commission has called the method of determining the television rating point or target rating point (TRP) using only 300 devices “phantasmal”.

Through TRP, the age, gender, viewing time, favourite programmes, and regional popularity of the viewers are determined.

Based on this information, advertising rates for private television channels are set and advertisers choose the placement of ads by analysing TRP ratings.

According to the reform commission report, private television stations rely mainly on advertising for revenue.

With minimal government advertising compared to newspapers, they are heavily dependent on private advertisers.

The main consideration for private advertisers is the number of viewers. However, the commission believes “many complex issues are involved”.

Previously, various private organisations determined TRP. In January 2022, the state-owned Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited (BSCL) proposed to the information and broadcasting ministry to provide TRP services.

The ministry conducted a feasibility study and instructed operations to begin by January 2023.

A directive issued on Jan 4, 2023, mandated starting operations with the installation of at least 500 set-top boxes.

Another directive dated Jan 25, 2023, said BSCL would sign agreements with television companies subject to the approval of the broadcasting ministry and must start operations within two months.

It said initially operations would have to start with a minimum of 2,000 devices or set-top boxes and the number would have to be increased to 8,000 within six months.

In December 2024, an investigation by the Media Reform Commission revealed BSCL was operating with only 200 set-top boxes so far.

The commission was informed the number of set-top boxes had increased to 300 in March this year.

Analysing a copy of the contract signed by BSCL with Ekushey TV, the commission report said the contract signed on Oct 7, 2024, had described the launch of service with 500 devices in the first phase and the installation of 1,068 devices in the second phase, but no mention of the second phase’s start date.

The commission reported the contract was made without installing 500 devices as required, and false information was provided.

BSCL charges TV stations Tk 125,000 per month for TRP services, with a three-month deposit of Tk 375,000.

However, the commission finds it “impossible” to get an accurate picture with so few devices, many of which are not always operational.

It says BSCL’s unreliable service has been useless to the industry and advertisers, even misleading TV channels with low-quality data.

The commission suggested compensating affected recipients and urged industry representatives to find a solution to the flawed TRP system.

Led by Kamal Ahmed, the commission submitted its report to Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus, and he said the government would implement feasible recommendations from the panel.

Submitting the report, Kamal said: “The state-owned BSCL now monitors the TRP of televisions.

“They were supposed to install 8,000 devices for this monitoring in the first year after taking over this responsibility.

“Until last December, they installed only 200 devices and gave ratings on them.

“Last week, they claimed to have added 100 more devices, bringing the total to 300 for TRP ratings. This is a serious injustice to the television industry.”

BSCL officials claim the number of devices is currently 500. Of these, 130 have been installed in Chattogram and the rest in Dhaka.

An official said the TV station owners had said in a meeting that they were paying Tk 125,000 per month for 500 devices, and they could not pay more, leading the device installation process to be stopped.

Preparations are being made for a meeting with the information ministry for instructions in this regard.