I&B Ministry
Committee set up to monitor Government advertisements in accordance with Supreme Court directions
NEW DELHI: A three-member committee headed by former chief election commissioner B.B. Tandon is to address issues related to Content Regulation in government advertising.
The Information & Broadcasting ministry has set up the committee in compliance with the Supreme Court directions dated 13 May 2015 and the other members are News Broadcasters Association President and the editor-in-chief of India TV Rajat Sharma, and Ogilvy & Mather executive chairman and creative director, South Asia Piyush Pandey.
The three member committee was selected by a three member panel constituted by ministry after obtaining advice from the Law ministry. The selection panel for constitution of the committee was headed by Press Council of India chairman Chandramauli Kumar Prasad.
The terms of reference of the committee has been prepared by the I&B ministry in consultation with the Law ministry which includes the structure, functions and powers, duties and responsibilities of the committee. The Supreme Court had given the direction for ironing out the creases that are bound to show from time to time in implementation of the judgement of the apex court on Content Regulation of Government Advertising.
Under the terms of reference, the committee would address complaints from the general public of violation on the implementation of the guidelines set out by the Supreme Court.
The committee would also take suo motu cognizance of any violation / deviation of the guidelines of the Supreme Court and recommend corrective action to the ministry /department.
The committee may recommend suitable changes to the Supreme Court guidelines to deal with new circumstances and situations that may arise from time to time, without making major policy changes within the policy direction of Supreme Court. The committee shall not be bound by any legal rules of evidence and may follow such procedure that appears to it to be fair and proper for swift settlement of grievances. For all decisions of the committee, the view of majority would prevail.
The tenure of the members would be initially for a period of two years which shall be extendable by one year at a time, but overall extension should not be more than two times. The committee would be operational from Delhi and the Directorate of Advertising and Visual Publicity would facilitate day to day functioning of the committee.
I&B Ministry
Govt extends TRP suspension for news channels by four weeks amid concerns
I&B ministry cites sensationalism fears linked to West Asia conflict coverage
NEW DELHI: The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has extended the suspension of Television Rating Points for news channels by another four weeks, keeping the industry in a ratings blackout for a longer stretch.
In an order dated March 31, the ministry directed the Broadcast Audience Research Council to continue withholding TRP data “for a further period of four weeks or until further directions, whichever is earlier.” This marks the second such directive after an initial four-week pause was imposed on March 6.
The government said the extension is aimed at curbing unwarranted sensationalism and speculative reporting, particularly in the context of the ongoing tensions in West Asia. It noted that the conflict continues to evolve and could trigger anxiety among viewers, especially those with personal or economic ties to the region.
TRPs serve as the primary yardstick for measuring television viewership and play a crucial role in shaping advertising revenues and competitive positioning among news broadcasters. Their absence effectively removes a key performance benchmark, forcing channels to operate without publicly available ratings.
The directive applies specifically to news television channels and has been issued under the government’s regulatory powers in the interest of public order. While the move is framed as a temporary measure, its continuation suggests ongoing concerns about the tone and nature of coverage.
For broadcasters, the extended blackout means navigating a high-stakes news cycle without the usual scoreboard. Whether it tempers the noise or simply shifts the battle elsewhere remains to be seen, but for now, the ratings race is officially on pause.
