BARC India, which measures and publishes audience estimates (ratings) of news channels, has said that it is pausing the process of publishing TRP ratings for 3 months. The decision has been taken by its Technical Committee in the wake of a huge controversy over two Marathi and an English news channel allegedly gaming the TRP system by bribing households in Maharashtra.

BARC on Thursday said that it is stalling the process in order to improve statistical robustness. Saying that its protocols are already stringent, BARC said that they will be reviewed furthermore for all genres of TV, be it English news, Business news, Regional or Hindi.

Some news channels are demanding that the rating process should be done away with permanently. One of them was a top news channel in the 2000s. It has been defeated by Republic TV, Times Now and India Today.

Earlier this month, the Mumbai police claimed that an investigation would be launched into the 'fake TRP scam' allegedly perpetrated by Republic TV. It was later said that India Today was the channel that was named in an FIR and not Republic TV.