New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered an FIR into alleged manipulation of Television Rating Points (TRP) on the basis of a reference from the Uttar Pradesh Police, officials said on Tuesday.
The case, which was earlier registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on the complaint of an advertising company promoter, was handed over to the CBI by the Uttar Pradesh government, they said.
Taking prompt action, the CBI has registered an FIR against unidentified persons, they said.
The primary allegations relate to manipulation of TRPs on payment, they said.
The CBI officials refused to give any further details.
Also read: The ‘TRP Scam’ Could Open the Doors for the Government to Enter the Picture
TRP or Television Rating Points of a channel or programme are used to measure popularity by advertising agencies, which affect pricing. The points are calculated by the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) of India using a device installed in over 45,000 households across the country called “bar-o-meter”.
The device collects data about a programme or channel watched by members of these households on the basis of which weekly ratings are issued by BARC.
Recently, Mumbai police had registered a case of TRP manipulation following which the ratings were reportedly suspended by BARC.