MediaOne has decided to end its association with the Broadcast Audience Research Council (BARC), the television ratings agency, citing a complete loss of credibility. With this move, MediaOne becomes the second Indian news channel after NDTV to withdraw from BARC.
MediaOne stated that it did not receive a satisfactory response from BARC regarding the concerns it had raised about the ratings data. The channel added that BARC officials were unable to clearly explain why MediaOne’s strong audience support was not reflected in the figures.
The main issue with BARC, according to MediaOne, lies in its very small sample size and the unscientific placement of rating meters. Of the total 8.6 million televisions in Kerala, BARC has meters installed in fewer than 1,500 locations. Even this limited distribution fails to proportionally represent all regions or sections of the population. Additionally, there are allegations that these meters can be externally controlled and manipulated.
MediaOne pointed to several issues with BARC’s credibility, citing the case against Arnab Goswami as an example. The channel also highlighted the growing problem of channels spending crores on landing pages to boost ratings. It noted that weekly digital viewership figures stand in stark contrast to BARC’s data. MediaOne consistently ranks among the top Malayalam channels in both live and non-live YouTube viewership — recording 362 million views last week alone — yet BARC’s ratings fail to reflect this. The channel alleged that BARC has shown no willingness to address this glaring discrepancy.
MediaOne editor Pramod Raman said the decision to cut ties with BARC was made in response to the agency’s lack of credibility. “While we are number one in digital, BARC places us at number ten. It’s a case of fraud and corruption,” he said. “BARC operates in secrecy, subverting the audience’s real choices. A business worth ₹4,000–₹5,000 crore in Kerala depends on these ratings — who is really being cheated?”
He added that MediaOne has built strong audience support and credibility over its eleven-year history, rooted in honest and ethical journalism. “No agency’s rating chart is more valuable than the trust of our audience,” he said, noting that the channel has repeatedly raised complaints about BARC’s irregular calculations, both directly and through emails. Pramod Raman further stated that BARC has failed to take any action that would lead to meaningful reform.