The Telecom Disputes Settlement and Appellate Tribunal (TDSAT) has directed HT Media Ltd and the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC) to conclude ongoing settlement discussions in a nearly nine-year-old dispute over access to television audience measurement data, while posting the matter for further hearing on September 11.
The matter came up before Justice Ram Krishna Gautam. The case, filed in 2017 as Broadcasting Petition, also names the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting as a respondent.
The tribunal also directed the respondent to file any written submissions on the same day and furnish a copy to the petitioner.
The order further recorded that both parties informed the tribunal that settlement efforts were underway. Taking note of the submissions, the bench directed the parties to conclude the settlement exercise.
The matter has now been listed on September 11 for further hearing.
Background
The dispute dates back to 2017 when HT Media approached TDSAT after BARC discontinued providing its television ratings data to print media organisations under its subscription arrangement.
Until then, newspaper publishers, including HT Media, had subscribed to BARC’s television audience data, which was used for reporting on television viewership trends, analysing channel performance and tracking developments in the broadcasting industry.
Following BARC’s decision to stop sharing the data with print publishers, HT Media challenged the move before TDSAT, arguing that the withdrawal of access was arbitrary and seeking restoration of the service. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting was also made a respondent in the petition.
The matter has remained pending before the tribunal since 2017, with several adjournments over the years. The latest order indicates that the parties are continuing discussions to explore an out-of-court settlement before the tribunal proceeds with adjudication.
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