News Broadcasting
Zee Media announces pulling out 14 new channels from Barc ratings
Mumbai: On Saturday, the company announced its bold and definite decision to stop participating in the Broadcast Audience Research Council (Barc) ratings.
In a statement, Zee Media noted, “This decision is a milestone for the whole news media industry. There are more than 5-8 million people associated with the news and broadcasting industry at large who get adversely impacted if incorrect reporting is published by the rating agencies, and it has been observed in the last few months that the news genre is being shown shrunk by the Barc (rating agency) to extend the benefit to GEC and other genres at large.”
The company had raised its concerns multiple times to Barc and had questioned the whole structure and their operation transparency towards the news industry, which represents the media and is usually termed as the fourth pillar of democracy.
“It is pertinent to point out that the rating agency has failed to rectify the news industry’s and Zee Media’s concerns. Barc has not given any white paper on the TRP scam until now and it’s a matter of great concern that who all was involved in this malpractice and if they are still part of the system (people/channels), what action has been taken against them?”, the company questioned.
The statement went on to say that the biggest concern and challenge is that Barc has not provided or accepted any solution because they are still reporting for landing and barker pages, which benefits those who use them at the expense of those who do not subscribe to these unethical practices.
Zee blamed that the news genre has been continuously shown to be shrinking since Barc data was restarted, while on the contrary, when the data was stopped, the genre was at its peak.
“In spite of multiple meetings and conversations with Barc, the agency not only failed but has not been able to explain such a steep fall. Drastic change in viewership is hurting the news genre’s revenue/perception in the advertising fraternity,” noted the statement.
The company also claimed that this was the biggest fall in the last 25–30 years of the industry, which is unprecedented and far from reality. Zee informed that they have repeatedly pointed out that a far larger sample (of metres) is needed if Barc is serious about ensuring a measurement process that cannot be rigged or manipulated, which they also failed to address until now.
As per the statement, the company claimed that Zee News, digitally, is number 1 in ComScore as well as on YouTube, which is real data and cannot be manipulated. However, Barc ratings show the completely opposite and different picture. While the same content is placed on both platforms, it again points out the inconsistencies of reporting methodology.
Barc’s new process of data reporting (four-week rolling average vis.a.vis earlier daily/weekly) is also a big concern for Zee Media. Due to this, the company believes the research has no meaning or outcome for the content producers and they cannot plan or validate content performance.
“Barc is unable to answer or address any of our queries/questions/suggestions. As an industry body, we believe that due to the monopoly of rating agencies, the industry is suffering at large. Hence, Zee Media decided to move from the rating agency and we have asked them to stop reporting Zee Media’s all 14 channels with immediate effect,” concluded the statement.
News Broadcasting
Kamlesh Singh receives Haldi Ghati Award from MMCF
India Today Group editor honoured for three decades of journalism at Udaipur ceremony.
MUMBAI- Kamlesh Singh just turned a lifetime of sharp words into a shiny shield because when journalism wakes up a society, even the Maharana of Mewar wants to pin a medal on it.
The Maharana of Mewar Charitable Foundation (MMCF) conferred its prestigious Haldi Ghati Award on Kamlesh Singh, a senior editor at the India Today Group, during a ceremony in Udaipur on 15 March 2026. The national award, instituted in 1981-82, recognises “work of permanent value that initiates an awakening in society through the medium of journalism.”
Singh, who leads several editorial initiatives including Aaj Tak Radio, the Teen Taal community and The Lallantop, was presented the honour by Lakshyaraj Singh Mewar, Managing Trustee of MMCF. The citation highlighted his three decades of contributions to Indian media, innovations in digital journalism, mentoring young reporters, and his popular podcast persona “Tau” on Teen Taal, which fosters thoughtful public discourse.
The Haldi Ghati Award, named after the historic Battle of Haldighati symbolising valour and resilience, is one of four national awards given annually by MMCF. Past recipients include Tavleen Singh, Piyush Pandey and Raj Chengappa.
Other honourees this year included Padma Vibhushan Pt Hari Prasad Chaurasia, Vedamurti Devvrat Rekhe, Treeman of India Marimuthu Yoganathan, Vir Chakra Capt Rizwan Malik, and US-based researcher Molly Emma Aitken, who received the Colonel James Tod Award for contributions to understanding Mewar’s spirit and values.
In an era where headlines often shout louder than substance, the MMCF quietly reminded everyone that real journalism isn’t about noise, it’s about the quiet, persistent work that stirs society awake, one thoughtful story at a time.
