By Diksha-
The Mumbai Police claimed to have busted a racket of TRP manipulation by 3 channels- Republic TV, Fakt Marathi and Box Cinema; the last two being local Mumbai channels.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Param Bir Singh, in a press conference said that two people have been arrested in connection to this matter, one of them being a former employee of an agency who installed ‘people metres’ to access the ratings.
The Detection Crime Branch of Mumbai police have unearthed the whole scam and arrested the two owners of the local channels also.
According to him, the channels are being investigated for rigging their TRP for ad revenues and spreading fake narratives by exaggerating the Sushant Singh Rajput case. He further said that they shall be investigated for cheating and committing breach of trust.
He also alleged that households in Mumbai are being visited by the members of these channels to pay them Rs.400-500 per month to keep their channel on screen all the time. Also, an organisation ‘Hansa’ was helping these channels to operate their racket.
The Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) has installed around 2,000 barometers to measure the ratings and the channels are accused of tampering with the TRP for revenue.
The channels’ bank records shall also be checked for revenues and whether or not they are proceeds from illegal activities.
The officials of Republic TV and others shall be summoned tomorrow. Singh also added that no matter how senior or junior an employee is, if involved in the racket, no one shall be spared.
Republic TV Editor-In-Chief Arnab Goswami said that the Mumbai Police Commissioner is coming back at them because they questioned him in relation to the Sushant Singh Rajput case. He also declared: ‘He should issue a public apology or get ready to face us in court.’