By A Correspondent
In our April 1 ‘All Fool’s Day’ edition, we had carried a news report that BARC CEO Partho Dasgupta was going to be given Z-plus security given that he was threatened with crazy consequences.
On Thursday, Dasgupta and the BARC bosses did the impossible: pulled the plug off three leading channels for four weeks. Yes, India News, TV9 and V6 will not be measured for four weeks due to “suspected malafide practicesâ€. The channels have reportedly shown some hugely abnormal sparks in recent times, and there are some who say this would’ve happened without tampering of meters.
A move as significant as this couldn’t have happened without the blessings of the BARC board which is populated by some of the biggest names in the business. BARC ownership lies 60% with broadcasters, 20% each with advertisers and advertising agencies. All three represented by IBF, ISA and AAAI.
India News, which also runs NewsX is a formidable player now as are TV9 and V6 in Telugu. Expect some fireworks soon.