Mumbai: Amid rising media toxicity and the recent fake TRP scandal, two companies have now announced their intent to blacklist certain channels. Reportedly, Parle and Bajaj have decided to distance themselves from ‘toxic’ news channels.
TRP Scandal
TRP or target rating point is a metric used in marketing and advertising agencies to ensure that their content reaches the relevant audience. This is measured using devices attached to the TV sets of a sample of viewers to measure impressions. A few days ago, the Mumbai Police had said that they had busted a major TRP manipulation scheme by at least three TV channels and nabbed four people.
Mumbai police commissioner Param Bir Singh had claimed that Republic TV and the two Marathi channels had manipulated TRPs.
Parle and Bajaj blacklist media channels
Bajaj Auto MD Rajiv Bajaj told CNBC TV18 that his company had blacklisted three channels as they did not want to be associated with “anything we feel is a source of toxicity in the society.
As per a Livemint report, Parle Products has decided that the company will not advertise on news channels that broadcast toxic content. The report quotes Krishnarao Buddha the Senior Category Head of Marketing at Parle Products to say that the company is also exploring possibilities that would see other advertisers come together to create a restrain that would in turn prompt channels to improve their content.
Swara Bhaskar reacts
After Parle and Bajaj refused to air their ads on toxic media channels, actress Swara Bhasker who is against the media trails and negativity, took to Twitter to laud the brands for taking a moral stand.
“Yayyyyyyeeeeeeeeeee! Three cheers for #Parle,” wrote Swara while retweeting an Indian Civil Liberties Union tweet. It read: “Parle Products has decided not to advertise on news channels that broadcast toxic aggressive content. These channels are not the kinds that the company wants to put money into as it does not favour its target consumer. It’s time more companies join the lead of Bajaj and Parle.”