The news channel wars over use of landing page data

Last week, Zee Media Corp. Ltd, which operates a bouquet of television news channels, said it had pulled out of India’s TV viewership measurement system run by Broadcast Audience Research Council India. In its note, Zee Media said the “biggest concern” was that BARC continues to report the ‘landing pages’ that impact ratings favourably for those who use them. It called out the use of landing page as an “unethical practice” and asked BARC to stop reporting data for its 14 news channels. And broadcasters pay him to be on his landing page so that theirs’ is the default channel that is seen when the set top box is activated,” he explained, declining to be named. An executive at a leading news channel said that broadcasters who have entertainment and news TV are the biggest users of landing page in their entertainment business.